


Billion Dollar Man

by marvelousfvcks



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Sugar Daddy, Explicit Language, F/M, Friends With Benefits, Light BDSM, Light Dom/sub, Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-27
Updated: 2018-05-09
Packaged: 2018-10-11 20:44:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 36,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10474047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marvelousfvcks/pseuds/marvelousfvcks
Summary: Sugar Daddy AU - After mounting bills and debt cause you to look at alternative means of making money, you’re thrown into a whole different kind of life when one of the most famous billionaires on the block offers to be your sugar daddy, of course in exchange for a different from of payment.(DISCONTINUED/UNFINISHED)





	1. Chapter 1

One more ‘final notice’ bill was all it took. The final straw, the one that broke the camel’s back. You were done. Post-college life was nothing like you anticipated, no amount of degrees was going to change the absolute dryness of the job market and you were beyond finished with working yourself to the bone to pay off your debts and bills and still not have enough money to make it through the month.

You had graduated from law school with expectations of landing your dream job; you had shining recommendation letters from your professors, you’d passed the Bar exam with flying colours and you’d completed god knows how many internships over the years you were in school in different law firms to gain experience – though the only experience you really did gain was learning how some hot-shot lawyer liked his coffee – and it still wasn’t enough to land you a job at a law firm. Instead, you were stuck waitressing in the dinner a couple of blocks away from you apartment in Brooklyn; the pay was pitiful and you mainly relied on tips from some of the rudest customers you’d ever known.

Enough was enough, staring at the blaring red letters printed on the front of the envelope you recalled a rather alcohol-induced conversation with an old college friend you had a couple of weeks ago regarding how she managed to fund her college experience – she was a sugar baby. At the time it seemed a ridiculous idea, I mean people surely didn’t do this did they? But she’d convinced you it was a completely legitimate way of making ends meet and right now you were running out of options.

Later that night you stared at the blaring screen of your laptop that was in dire need of an upgrade, the login screen to the website your friend told you about sat staring at you, daring you to make a move. Taking a deep breath, you tried to steady your nerves; you were just signing up – _relax_ , _this wasn’t a solid commitment to anything, you’d be fine._ After plugging in your details, you were rerouted to a page showcasing potential ‘daddies’, it was basically a dating site and that helped put your mind at ease, you browsed through the profiles and decided that it wasn’t the worst idea, especially when you saw the kind of money they were offering. It wasn’t something you could pass-up, not anymore.

After finishing your profile, you searched for someone who you thought might be compatible, who would agree to your terms. Even though you were more than willing to sleep with whoever you choose - a girl has needs after all and to say it had been a while for you would be an understatement - you didn’t want to be anyone’s lover, no deep emotional attraction was to be involved at all. You were looking for no more than a friends with benefits type of relationship, with your benefits mainly being in the form of green bills.  

Most of the profiles, you discovered, had usernames to keep their identities anonymous until they could trust someone enough to reveal themselves. It made sense really, to have this kind of money spare that they were offering, they were probably high profile and this wouldn’t help in the publicity area. Babble Babe would eat these kinds of stories alive, you could almost see the headlines on the notoriously nosey website now; _Infamous Millionaires caught buying their dates!_

You couldn’t help but wonder if any of the profiles you’d seen had been people you’d heard off on the Upper East Side, the ones that constantly ended up spread across the pages of Babble Babe for their latest exploits.

Over the next week, you messaged multiple profiles to try and strike up conversation with someone to see if you could click, although you weren’t looking for love you sure as hell had to make sure you had some connection to them if you were going to be spending copious amounts of time together – not to mention potentially sleeping together.

One profile you were messaging stood out above all the rest, he wouldn’t tell you his name claiming it to be so high profile you’d instantly recognise him – you had to roll your eyes at this but then considered he could actually be right. His username, iron_man, had you beyond confused at who he could be but that didn’t matter; you both discovered you were after the same thing, he needed someone to show off in public with the appearance of a partner, you needed money and nothing more – neither of you were looking for anything beyond that arrangement. However, ‘iron_man’ made one thing explicitly clear, he was expecting sex to be part of the agreement, something that he promised you’d enjoy. Again, cue eye roll.

You continued messaging him to get a better sense of his character, the messages the only thing you knew about him (apart from the other very obvious basics; he was obscenely rich and lived in New York), you found him to be quite funny, if not a little cocky and big-headed but hey, he had the money, right? He could be whoever the hell he wanted. You could tell he was intelligent and if you were being honest with yourself he was kind of charming - that was until his smug self-assuredness shone through.  

He had requested you send a picture of yourself to make sure he wasn’t being catfished or anything of the sort and you provided him with one, albeit nervously, you were afraid he may reject you after seeing your picture. However, ‘iron_man’ shocked you with his bold flirtatious nature: the three dots appearing, letting you know he was typing before his message came through.

_Damn baby, can’t wait to see that in person._

You couldn’t help but laugh at him, you’d adapted to his sense of humour in the days you’d been messaging and to be honest with yourself, you genuinely thought he was funny. _This could actually work_. When you asked for a picture he refused, saying he couldn’t risk it and that only piqued your curiosity on who it was you were talking to.

Eventually mystery-man asked to meet you, asking if you could make it to the Shield – one of New York’s fanciest and most expensive restaurants – at seven that Friday. You had expected him to at least reveal his name to you at this point, how else would you be able to meet him in the restaurant with no picture or no name? Surely, he wasn’t that famous that you’d recognise him by name? The only response you got to your questions was his cryptic response: _You’ll know who I am. Trust me, I’ll sort everything out, just be there by seven._

You agreed even though the idea had butterflies erupting in your stomach as your nerves set in, the reality of the situation beginning to sink in.

_What if you met and you didn’t like him? What if he was really a dick and managed to fool you? What if it was too awkward in reality to work? What if, what if, what if._

So many questions rushed through your mind until you’d had enough, silencing the anxiety crashing through you. You’d never know if it was feasible unless you tried, right? And if it didn’t it didn’t, no harm done, but the money being offered was too much, _too needed_ , for you to not try. And so Friday night you dressed up in your best dress, which wasn’t nearly as high-end as everyone else would probably be wearing, this was a luxurious place after all and everyone would probably be wearing something that cost more than your apartment was worth.

As you sat on the subway – there was no way you could afford a taxi from your Brooklyn apartment to Manhattan – your heart began to pound, your hands becoming clammy as everything sank in. You were about to meet up with complete stranger you’d found on the internet in hopes he’d provide you with money in exchange for a fake relationship. _Sweet Jesus what am I doing?_

Reminding yourself of your growing pile of bills at home, the idea of being homeless on the streets of New York far scarier than anything that could possibly go wrong with mystery man, you willed yourself to enter the restaurant, immediately feeling out of place at the pure opulence of the building.

Approaching the maître d, you couldn’t help but feel the unimpressed looks shot your way: you were so out of place and everybody there knew it. Any normal day, you wouldn’t have taken a single dirty look shot your way, but you highly doubted whoever you were meeting would have been impressed by your antics. Besides, if this went well you’d have to put up with New York’s snobbiest regularly – might as well start practising, right?

The tuxedo-clad man arched an eyebrow at your figure and you successfully fought back the roll of your eyes. Before you could open your mouth, he was plucking a menu from the station in front of him, “If you’ll follow me this way, ma’am.”

You trailed after him as he expertly manoeuvred through the tables, leading you to a more secluded part of the restaurant, towards a table in the back where a man sat. An extremely recognisable man. You’d never seen him in person before but that million-dollar smile had been plastered on enough newspapers and magazine covers for you to know who it was.

_Well, I guess he was right._

You did know who he was. Everyone did.

Tony fucking Stark.


	2. Chapter 2

You were completely stunned by the man in front of you, Tony fucking Stark; The most famous billionaire playboy there ever was. Stark had inherited his company from his father, it was originally weapons manufacturing and Tony had transformed it from a million-dollar company to the biggest weapons corporation in the world, but he had long since abandoned that line of work after he was held hostage by terrorists in Afghanistan.

The entire event had been covered by every news station in America, there wasn’t a day that went by without every channel providing an update on the situation, although most had given up hope for him after a few days. But against all odds, Stark had actually managed to survive and escape, his perspective entirely changed from the experience, vowing to never create weapons again after seeing what they were used for. Instead he focused his entire company into clean energy and honestly, the man had created some revolutionary stuff.

You had always considered the entire change of heart to be quite noble, it takes a big man to admit when he’s wrong and Stark had been very wrong. Not only that but the whole world was against him when he did it, stocks were dropping from his company, high-level employees threatened to walk and, according to Babble Babe, he lost a good number of friends over the whole fiasco. And yet, he stuck by his beliefs and actually made it work. You admired his integrity.

His business, however, didn’t make nearly as many headlines as the man himself and he happened to by Babble Babe’s favourite topic. You could guarantee that after every event New York had, the next day Tony Stark was involved in some scandal or another, he was an infamous womanizer who was forever been photographed with a different woman – or two or three – on his arm every time he was seen. Which led you to the question: why the hell was he doing this?

Your nerves amplified, your mouth drying as you released you were on a _date_ with none other than the notorious billionaire himself – what the hell were you going to do? In you star-struck daze, you completely forgot _why_ you were here, needing to impress him in order to solidify your arrangement.

Realising you were just standing there shamelessly gawking at the man in front of you, you hurriedly took your seat across from him, cheeks burning at the smirk that pulled at his lips and the way his eyes roamed over you appreciatively. 

“You were right: I definitely know who you are,” You laughed, shaking your head in disbelief at the situation you were in.

The chuckle that left his mouth was warm, washing over you like a calming wave, “And I was certainly right about wanting to see you in person – gotta tell you darlin’, I am not disappointed.”

You formally introduced yourselves to each other, making mindless small talk whilst the waiter took your orders, after your food was sent off for Tony leant back in his chair, regarding you with an inquiring gaze. Squirming under the intensity residing in his twinkling brown eyes, you finally relented with a sigh, “What is it?”

He seemed amused by your candour and you became sure it was something he wasn’t used to, people in his world sugar-coated everything to the point of it being nonsensical and you just didn’t have it within you to do that; you were blunt and you appreciated people returning said bluntness. You began to wonder if this was going to work at all.

“Are you always so direct?” He arched an eyebrow at you, humour evident in his tone.

“Pretty much, yeah – I like knowing where I stand with people and I make sure people know where they stand with me; I hate playing the guessing game, it’s pointless and tiring and is a complete waste of time, is it gonna be a problem?” Your brows furrowed with concern, sure you’d been talking with a few other potential ‘daddies’ on the site but Tony had been your first choice, even before you found out who he was. You didn’t want your chances to fly away just because you spoke your mind unapologetically.

“Actually no, if anything, my opinion of you just went up. I hate people pandering over me, there aren’t enough people in my life who appreciate a direct answer. I was just wondering if you wanted to address the elephant in the room, you know, the fact that this is pretty much an interview for me to become your sugar daddy,” He wiggled his eyebrows at you suggestively and you couldn’t stop the boisterous laugh that burst from your lips at the gesture.

“Sure thing, where do you want to start?” You questioned him playfully, your lips curled in a smirk, on that he mirrored immediately and the atmosphere between the two of you shifted, electricity filling the air between you.

The static ambience between the two of you dimmed when the waiter brought your food over, the both of you thanking them before they were on their way, leaving you two to eat and discuss what exactly was wanted and expected from the arrangement.

“So, why exactly do you want a sugar daddy? I’m pretty sure it isn’t for the sex, a girl with your face wouldn’t struggle in that department,” You shook your head at his humour, you could see where he got his reputation from.

“I need one for the sugar part, a pretty face may get you laid but it sure as hell doesn’t pay your bills, of which mine are piling. Plus, this jig pays a pretty penny, I figured I could save enough doing this to buy a share of law-firm, become a partner somewhere ya know? Finally get to do the job I worked my ass off for in college instead of being stuck waiting tables for the rest of my life,” You sighed out, disappointed with the way your life had turned out, how the hard work you’d put into your education and career weren’t paying off because you didn’t have the funds to get you through the door.

Tony nodded in understanding, mulling over your words before he spoke: “So this isn’t a permanent thing? You aren’t going to bounce from one rich pa to pop until you get yourself a hefty retirement fund? You have plans for afterward?”

“Yeah, this isn’t how I wanted to do it but I’m getting kinda desperate. Why, did you want a professional?” You joked with him, pondering where his line of enquiry was leading.

“No, no, you’re actually exactly what I was looking for,” You arched an eyebrow in question to him, shooting him a dubious look, waiting for him to continue, “Look, I’m gonna be straight with you here. The board of Stark Industries is threatening to have me removed as CEO if I don’t show signs of stability, the risks I took remodelling it still don’t sit well with a lot of them and with my frankly reckless social life, they’re beginning to think I’m not capable to run the company. So, I need a fake significant other and to keep my image free of scandals until this all clears over; the only problem is I’m terrible at relationships – they just aren’t for me, but this, this I can do.”

The playfulness that had surrounded him all night suddenly vanished as he spoke about his company problems, the business he had spent so long on, what his father had passed down to him was being taken away from him. You couldn’t imagine how hard that must be for him, to have everything he’s worked so hard on be taken away from him because of the narrow-minded opinions of a select few, you couldn’t help but feel for him, he certainly didn’t deserve this. There was something you still didn’t understand though.

“But why get a sugar baby? You’re _you_ ; you could get a date anywhere any time – hell you normally have about three, why bother going through all of this?”

Letting out a deep sigh, he shook his head, trying to figure out how to phrase this without sounding like a complete tool: “The girls I normally date are… nice, sure. But to spend more than 24 hours with them would be mind-numbing in ways you don’t understand, to say that they aren’t of any substance is a major understatement. If this whole fake-relationship is going to work I’m going to need someone I can spend long periods of times with without wanting to stick a screwdriver in my eye.”

You couldn’t stop the giggle that escaped at his exaggerated annoyance, watching him pull the most ridiculous expressions at the thought of being forced to spend prolonged time with his usual type. “So, they’re more of a one night only kind of arrangement then?”

Tony smirked at your words, sipping on the whiskey in his glass before responding, “Sure, but that’s not the only problem. I couldn’t trust those girls with what I’m asking you for here, they’d obviously have to know it was fake because I do not want to real relationship and the moment they found out they’d sell me out to the nearest gossip magazine. What I need is trust and a mutual understanding, I need-”

“You need someone who is willing to scratch your back if you scratch theirs - with discretion of course,” You interrupted him, finally understanding why the infamous Tony Stark was going to so much trouble for a date.

“Exactly, and with you wanting a career after this, I can assume you want to be as scandal-free as possible to make the best impression on your first day. We can part ways after this with a hearty handshake and no hard feelings.”

You mulled over his words; this was too perfect to be true. You’d get to live stress-free over your bills, get to taste the high-life that New York had to over, Tony wasn’t a creepy old-guy who just wanted to fuck and run back to his high-school sweetheart, you could save enough money to actual buy a partnership into a law firm, and retain your professionalism once it was over, no one would even know it happened. You honestly couldn’t believe your luck but you sure as hell weren’t going to sit back and watch your golden opportunity pass you by.

“It sounds like a good deal to me Tony, that is if I passed the interview of course,” Your voice took on a sultry tone towards the end, looking up at him through your lashes and watching as his notorious lady-killer smirk donned his face. You understood why he could get as many women to jump between the sheets with him as he did; that smirk was a dangerous thing.

Leaning across the small table, he leaned on his hands that were clasped in front of his face, his eyes showing a mischievous glint, “Well, there are a _few_ more things I need to see before I can wholly agree to this arrangement, that is if you are still interested?”

“I’m still very much interested Mr. Stark,” your voice dripped with allure, you knew what he was getting at and you were more than willing to play along.

The waiter once again came over, noticing your empty plates, and asked if either of you would care to look at the dessert menu, you both declined choosing instead to have one more drink before you headed home.

“Are you free tomorrow?”

You kinked a brow at him, nodding at him as you sipped at the wine in your glass, “Yeah, why do you want to meet up again? _Do you have another interview arranged Mr. Stark_?”

Tony shook his head at your teasing tone, tongue darting out to wet his bottom lip as his eyes gleamed with mirth. “Oh, you are going to be trouble in all the best ways,” You couldn’t help the playful eyeroll that occurred as he appreciatively let his gaze ravish your body, nibbling at his lip as he did, “But yes, two really – I need to see how you do in a more… _intense_ environment, you know people coming up to us and talking about the regular bullshit of the day. I need to know you can keep up appearances so to speak, we’re going to have to do a lot of these if we go ahead. There’s a charity dinner tomorrow evening at the plaza, all the usual crowd will be there, seems like a perfect opportunity.”

You nodded your head in agreement, understanding why he needed to do this, you couldn’t just take any company to these events and you only hopped that you could pull it off – God knows you had no idea what to actual do at such formal events.

“I’m guessing you’re wearing the nicest thing you own right now?” Your back straightened as for the first time since you’d walked in, you felt you were being scrutinised by Tony Stark. “It’s not a judgement sugar – well maybe a little – I only asked so I can have some options brought over to your apartment tomorrow morning, I think I have a pretty good eye if I do say so myself.”

You laughed at him, somehow not doubting his words, Tony was a man of taste and you were certain whatever would be delivered to you would be classy and elegant.

“So, what’s part two of the interview Mr. Stark?” You looked up at him through your lashes, a small smirk on your face, knowing what he was going to say. _He was paying for it after all…_

Leaning back in his chair, Tony regarded you for a moment before a dark chuckle left his lips, “The second interview is of a more _physical_ nature.”

“Got any outfit requirements for _that_ particular stage of the interview Mr. Stark?” You couldn’t help but tease him, not knowing how exactly he was bringing out this side of you but going with it regardless.

“Oh, I do like you, I definitely made the right choice here,” He murmured, trademark smirk stretching across his lips, and you couldn’t help but let your eyes linger on the sight of them. Noticing your empty glass of wine and throwing a few more bills on the table as a tip, Tony stood, offering you his hand and leading you out of the restaurant, ignoring the hushed whispers as you were seen leaving with him, “Come on, I’ll have my driver take you home.”

Pulling you through the bustling pedestrians on the street, Tony lead you to the sleek black car parked directly outside the restaurant, the man standing outside the vehicle opening the back door for you as you and Tony approached.

“Happy, this is Y/N – Y/N this is Happy, my driver and personal security. If all goes well, you two will be seeing a lot of each other,” Tony introduced you to each other and Happy held out his hand for you to take, a warm smile on his face, he sure seemed to live up to his name.

“Nice to meet you Miss,” He nodded his head in greeting.

“Oh, no please call me Y/N, I insist.”

“Hap, we’re taking Y/N home to Brooklyn,” Tony gestured for you to get into the car as he gave Happy your address before joining you, the door shutting behind him as Happy jogged to the driver’s seat.

The car pulled away, heading into the busy New York traffic and you began to think about what tomorrow would bring. The feeling of Tony’s hand on your bare thigh brought you out of your thoughts, the simple touch sending a jolt of electricity through you that you couldn’t decipher.

Turning your head, your eyes lock with Tony’s who was already watching you. Now that you were much closer to him, you could see the little details of his features that had gone unnoticed before; the lines around his eyes that were a small indicator of his age, the different shades of brown that made up the colour of his eyes, the way his lower lashes seemed so damn prominent, the small sprinkling of silver hair in his perfectly groomed beard.

Once again, you found your gaze lingering on his lips, wanting nothing more than to lean forward and _taste_ them. But you shook the thought from your head, now wasn’t the time.

“I’ll have your dresses brought over in the morning, probably some shoes too – You know what I’ll just get you a whole outfit, you’re going to want to accessorise right?”

“Wait – dress _es_ , as in plural? How many do I need?” You were kind of shocked that he was so willing to buy you so much even though it wasn’t exactly official yet. Hell, he’d just bought you dinner at one of the most expensive restaurants in New York without even batting an eye, it was a concept you really weren’t familiar with, being so unconcerned with money.

Tony merely arched a brow at you, “Well yeah, it’s nice to have options. Just make sure you’re ready by 7:30, I’ll send Happy to come pick you up.”

You felt the car come to a stop and realised you were outside your apartment building, “Yeah ok, ready by 7:30 - I can do that.”

Happy walked over to open your door for you but before you could leave, Tony was pulling a card out of the inside pocket of his jacket, handing it over to you before telling you to ring if there was anything else you needed. Turning the card over in your fingers, you saw the logo of Stark industries imprinted into the black card, the gold letters catching in the low light of the car, a phone number visible under them.

“I will. I guess I’ll be seeing you tomorrow then Mr. Stark.” You had no idea why you did it, but you couldn’t stop yourself, leaning towards him to press a lingering kiss against his cheek.

You heard the deep chuckle that Tony emitted as you left the car, bidding Happy goodbye as he walked you to your building door, making sure everything was ok before going back to the car.

You entered your apartment with a sigh, kicking off your heels at the door before a disbelieving laugh bubbled from your throat. You had just had dinner with _Tony Stark_. _Tony Stark_ wanted to be your sugar daddy. You were going to one of the high-class events at the Plaza tomorrow with _Tony Stark_.

_How the hell had this happened?_

Your whirring thoughts were broken by the ding of your phone, an alert coming through from Babble Babe, you rolled your eyes at the notification on your phone before opening the app.

_Spotted: Tony Stark and new girl leaving one of NYC’s hottest restaurants. Where do we place the bets on how long this one lasts? Good luck new girl, dating a Stark is a dangerous game to play xoxo_

The photo of you was of your back – Thank God – but you were amazed at how damn fast this trashy gossip site worked. God knows how they would react tomorrow. Pushing the feeling of dread aside, you stripped out of your dress and fell into the welcoming warmth of your bed, your final thoughts of the public appearance you and Tony were going to be making tomorrow.


	3. Chapter 3

You woke the next morning still in a state of disbelief, laying in bed as the events of the previous night replayed in your mind. Your thoughts of Tony were abruptly halted by the knock on your door and you remembered that you were having a delivery today with your outfit choices for the evening. Padding over to the door you were shocked to see not a deliverer man but Wanda, your neighbour and best friend standing in front of you with her hand on her hip and her eyebrow arched at you, clearly annoyed about something.

“What the hell were you thinking?” She questioned instantly, only leaving you more confused as to what the hell she was talking about. Before you could open your mouth to respond she shoved her phone into your hands, storming past you and into your apartment.

Looking down at the phone, you saw that the app loaded was Babble Babe, more specifically the article from last night; the picture of you and Tony centred on the screen. How Wanda had figured out it was you from your back alone was beyond you but you knew she wouldn’t be happy – Wanda was there for everything after your _messy_ split from your ex, consoling you when you seemed inconsolable to everyone else and you knew she was protective of you, you hadn’t factored in her response to you ‘dating’ Tony, the world’s most notorious womanizer, and with the pointed look she was giving you, you started to wish you had.

You knew better than to lie to Wanda, if she knew it was you then you just had to tell her the truth, the woman was like a mind reader, absolutely nothing got passed her. It was honestly freaky sometimes how she could read people, no secret was safe around Wanda Maximoff. With a dejected sigh, you turned to her: “How the hell could you tell it was me?”

“Oh please, I’d recognise that ass anywhere! Plus, that’s the dress you wore for my birthday two months ago and I know for a fact you only wear it on special occasions, so I ask again: What the hell are you doing?”

You quirked a brow at your friend, eyes widening before you shook your head, deciding to ignore the fact that she could apparently pick your ass out of every other in New York and jump right to placating her growing annoyance. “Ok will you please calm down; it was just a date Wan.”

“A date? With _Tony Stark_?” She questioned incredulously, arms crossed over her chest in a defensive manner. You knew you were going to have to tell her the truth or she’d march down to Tony’s apartment herself to get the answers she wanted. The woman was persistent, you’d give her that.

“Just, promise me you won’t freak out ok? Just listen to everything I have to say before you start telling me how stupid this is and _swear_ on your life not to tell anyone.”

Wanda’s defensive demeanour shifted lightly at your words, concern shining in her eyes as he nodded, not entirely sure what you were going to tell her. Walking past her you made your way over to the draw in your kitchen that had all your final notice bills in, the multitude of letters stacked neatly and tied together with an elastic band. Wanda took the bills from your hand, eyes widening as she flicked through them and saw just how bad your financial situation really was.

“Oh Y/N, I knew it was getting tough but I had no idea it was _this_ bad,” Wanda’s expression changed to one of sympathy, hand resting on your arm as a sign of comfort, “But I still don’t understand what dating Tony has to do with this.”

“Well, see we’re not really dating. It’s an act, one that I’m getting paid good money for, he just needs to prove himself to his company’s chair board to be stable and a ‘relationship’ is one of the ways to do it.”

“So, he’s paying you to play make believe with him?” Wanda still had her doubts in all of this and it was understandable, the more you told her the more ridiculous it sounded.

“Pretty much, I promise I’m not actually dating Tony Stark. There are absolutely no romantic feelings involved in this Wanda, we’re just going to be friends if anything.” 

_She definitely doesn’t need to know about the sex part of the arrangement, she’s struggling to accept this as it is._

You could see her pondering over everything you had told her, the gears turning in her head as she created a thousand and one ways this entire situation could go before she finally relented with a sigh; “Alright, alright. I promise my lips are sealed, just be careful ok?”

You let out a chuckle at her constant worry, pulling her in for a hug at her support, “I promise Wan, it’s not like I’m going to fall in love with Tony freakin’ Stark for God’s sake.”

The two of you dropped the discussion on your new means of earning money for the time being, deciding instead to have breakfast together before Wanda had to go to work at the floristry she owned in Brooklyn.

You were just sipping at the fresh cup of coffee you had made for yourself when another knock sounded at your door, only this time it wasn’t Wanda. A multitude of delivery men stood at your door carrying various boxes, bags, and dresses all in covers to protect them, every single thing they held had a designer name strapped across it that you could never even dream to afford and you stood staring at the men before you with your mouth agape, unable to comprehend just why Tony had got you so much.

“Miss Y/LN?” the voice of one of the delivery men snapped you out of your stupor and you nodded your head in conformation, “Where do you want us to put the bags Miss?”

Where indeed, they had more clothes on in their hands than you had in your wardrobe, you had no idea where you were going to store all of this. “Just, uh - the bedroom I guess?”

You lead them through your small apartment into your cramped bedroom and they placed everything Tony had gotten you on the floor and your bed, every surface seemingly covered in the poky room. Thanking the men as they left, you want back to your room to stare at the numerous bags and boxes that littered it, feeling like a child on Christmas morning opening their presents as you made your way through each one.

Tony really had bought you everything you could possibly need for tonight; Tiffany bags filled with stunning jewellery, Chanel bags brimming with make-up, Versace perfume that smelt heavenly, a selection of Louboutin boxes that held gorgeous shoes all in your size that fit perfectly, Tony had even had deliveries from Romanoff’s Delights with the most luxurious lingerie you had ever seen – how he knew your sizes was beyond you.

Rifling through the box of silken bras you found a note at the bottom: ‘ _Couldn’t help but think how good you’d look in these, Gorgeous. Feel free to wear them tonight, I’ll see you at 7:30. T x_ ’ 

You couldn’t stop the amused smile spreading across your face at the note, shaking your head as a chuckle escaped you. You retrieved the card Tony gave you from your bedside table, punching the number into your phone and sending him a quick text.

_\- How the hell do you know my bra size?_

You didn’t have to wait long before your phone was lighting up with Tony’s response.

_\- I have my ways, Sugar. Do you like them?_

You couldn’t help but smirk as you wrote out your response, only able to imagine his reaction.

_-  They’re cute but I normally prefer lace._

You could have sworn his reply was even faster this time and you could picture his shit eating grin as you read over his words.

\- _Lace huh? Kinky. I’ll have to remember that._

You put the phone down, moving to the dresses that were spread out over your bed, your amazement at the beautiful garments growing as your revealed each breath-taking design from the covers they were in. Each one fit you like a glove, accentuating some part of you and making you look better then you ever have before. These dresses were made to be worn by actual women, the lavish fabric cut and sown to adapt to the curves of the female body, unlike the cheap fabric that made up your other clothes that were designed to only look good on coat hangers.

You tried each dress on, admiring your reflection in the full-length mirror in the corner of your room and trying to decide which one you should wear tonight, not actually knowing anything about the event you would be going to. In the end, you decided to play it safe, choosing to stay classic and refined in the black number Tony had bought you; the material was unbelievably soft against your skin, the off-shoulder cut and fishtail trail giving you an effortless sense of elegance.

Once you finished playing dress-up, you put the other dresses in your closet, keeping them in their covers to protect the designer clothing. You tried to organise everything else Tony had bought you, as difficult a task as it was, you simply didn’t have much room to spare. Storing the smaller things like cosmetics and other luxury toiletries was easy, keeping them in your make-up bags and in the space available on your small, shabby vanity under the window but you had to keep the numerous shoes he had bought you in their boxes, stacking them in the corner of your room in an impressive tower.

You busied yourself tidying the apartment until it was time for you to get ready, heading towards your cramped bathroom with your new toiletries in hand. You filled the tub with water, examining the new bath oils Tony had provided you with, the regal styled bottle of Floris looking nearly too good to use and wondering just how much Tony had spent on you already. The soft scents of lime blossom and lily filled the room as the oil mixed with the running water and when your bath was just perfect your turned off the taps, stepping into the bath and easing into the warm water.

You relaxed in the tub until the water went cold, the oils making your skin feel soft under your fingers and you couldn’t wait to test out everything else Tony had bought for you. You dried yourself off and styled your hair, moving to do your make-up before slipping on your underwear; you took a moment to admire yourself glammed up in nothing but your luxury lingerie, hands roaming down your sides and over the material of your panties, noticing how similar your skin felt to the expensive silk and smiling at your reflection.

You slipped the dress on, smoothing the material down your body as it clung to you like a second skin, matching it with a pair of the Louboutin’s gifted to you before you took the necklace from the Tiffany’s box, clasping it around your neck and admiring the way the pearls alternated by diamonds wrapped around your throat. Your reflection was nearly unrecognisable, you were certain you had never seen as much money in your life like you were wearing at the current moment, you only hoped it would be enough to impress Tony because it was definitely an improvement to waiting tables.

Your phone pinged on your bedside table and you read the text from Tony, telling you that he was a few minutes out from your apartment. Gathering the Yves Saint Lauren clutch bag that completed the outfit and shoving your phone and other necessities into it, you gave yourself one last glance in the mirror to make sure everything was perfect before heading out the door, grateful to not run into Wanda on your way out and sparing yourself her concerned looks.

By the time you got downstairs to the entrance of your building, Happy was waiting by the door, giving you a small smile and nod of his head as greeting before leading you over to the car and opening the door for you, to which you thanked him before gracefully sliding into the backseat of the pricey car that you noticed was different to the one that brought you home the night before. Tony was already seated in the back, sipping on a glass a scotch from the mini bar to the side of him, his eyebrow raised as his gaze swept over you, his tongue poking out the lick at the amber liquid that stained his bottom lip.

“Well Gorgeous, money definitely suits you, that’s for sure.” Tony reached for the glass of bubbling champagne already poured, handing you the flute as his eyes continued to roam your body. “How are you feeling?”

You took a sip of the sparkling liquid, feeling it fizz on your tongue as you savoured the taste, “A little nervous but nothing I can’t handle. Do you think we’ll be convincing enough?”

Leaning back and resting his head against the back of his seat, Tony let his eyes slip closed as a chuckle escaped his lips, “Sweetheart, all I have to do to make this look convincing to the world is go in there and make it look like I want nothing more than to take you home – and with the way you look right now that isn’t going to be a challenge in the slightest.”

You rolled your eyes at his comment, unable to fight the smile playing at his lips as you heard the underlying compliment under everything he was saying: _you look nice_. You couldn’t help but admire just how good Tony looked in a suit; waistcoat visible from between his open jacket, the crisp white shirt a contrast to the all-black ensemble, the burgundy tie the only colour evident. The white strip of his handkerchief was barely peeking over his breast-pocket and you couldn’t deny how classy the man looked.

You both made idle chitchat as the car made its way towards the hotel and it struck you how easy you found it to talk to Tony, there was no awkward silences or forced conversations you could simply be around him. Maybe it was due to all the messages you exchanged before you released just who ‘iron man’ was or maybe it was just the fact that Tony was just someone who you could be around, you didn’t know nor did you dwell on the issue – it was a good sign that this arrangement would work and that’s all you needed to know.

Happy finally pulled up outside of the Plaza and the flashing of cameras could be seen even through the tinted glass of the car windows and a sudden wave of anxiety struck you; you had no idea how to act in these sort of formal events and you didn’t want to discredit Tony, not only that but you would effectively be meeting so many people who came from such a different background to you, what if they could see right through the fine clothes and jewellery and looked down on you?

Sensing your abrupt apprehension, Tony took your hand in his, thumb rubbing calming circles into the skin on the back, intense gaze willing you to look up at him; “Hey, it’ll be fine, ok? Don’t worry about it, just stick by my side and we’ll be golden.”

Your eyes met his, finding nothing but sincerity in his stare as your teeth nibbled on your bottom lip, a nervous habit you had, nodding your head in agreement. You didn’t miss the way Tony’s eyes followed the notion, his eyes becoming heavily lidded as his tongue peeked out to swipe over his lips before a smirk spread across them. The sight gave you a boost of confidence and your lips curled in a cheeky grin which only grew as Tony chuckled, muttering ‘trouble’ under his breath and lacing his fingers through yours.

The door to the car opened, Happy standing by waiting for you and Tony to exit and shutting the door behind you. The bright flashes from the photographers where blinding and the shouts from multiple reporters asking Tony a million and one questions about who you were and what was happening with Stark Industries was deafening. Pulling you closer to him by your waist, Tony whispered in your ear to just smile and ignore them, the both of you making your way to the front of the building and being escorted inside by a member of staff.

You breathed a sigh of relief when the doors closed behind you and the relentless questions were muted. Tony’s hand didn’t move from your waist as you were lead through the hotel and towards the charity dinner that was being held in the terrace room and you couldn’t find a single part of you that cared, if anything Tony’s signs of attraction towards you were welcome – you couldn’t deny you found the man alluring and you were most definitely looking forward to the afterparty he had planned for the both of you.

The room the charity ball was being held in was stunning, easily one of the most luxurious places you had the fortune of seeing, the room practically glowing golden under the lights of the chandeliers. There were tables dotted around the room, most already occupied, and in the centre, there was a dancefloor that already had a few patrons twirling elegantly on it. As Tony led you to what you assumed were your assigned seats, you couldn’t help but take in the beauty around you, the intricate architecture of the room was breath-taking and the people that filled it matched seamlessly; men dressed in perfectly styled suits, practically oozing class and style and the women were decorated in fine dresses, appearing to be dipped in the most precious jewels that sparkled under the low-light of the room.

Even with all the money Tony had spent on this outfit alone you still couldn’t help feeling out of place, as if they could see through the charade you were trying so desperately to put on: Tony could put you in the most expensive dresses in the world, it still wouldn’t change the fact that this wasn’t the company and lifestyle you were accustomed to.

Tony stopped in front of a table that already had a few taken seats, cocking an eyebrow at the group until they stopped talking and turned to you both; the gorgeous red-head’s eyes travelled over you and you couldn’t help but feel she was going to eat you alive, her expression unwavering as she picked you apart. The two men seated beside her seemed much more welcoming and you couldn’t help but think that you’d seen them before; a tall blonde with kind eyes and a trusting smile and his brunette friend with piercing blue eyes and a cheeky grin that made you melt a little inside.

“Guys, this is Y/N, my date. Y/N, this is Steve, Bucky, and Nat,” Tony introduced you to everyone as he pulled out your chair for, making sure you were comfortable before sitting down next to you.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Y/N,” the blonde – Steve – said, pulling your hand to his lips and pressing a kiss to the back of your hand. Your eyes widened at the gesture, you didn’t even think anyone in the 21st century did that anymore.

Before you could take your hand back, it was already firmly clasped in Bucky’s; “A great pleasure Dollface, you look spectacular.” Bucky pulled your hand to his mouth, steel-blue eyes locked on yours as he pressed a kiss to the skin and you felt your face heat up at the action.

“Alright Barnes hands to yourself, this is _m_ y date unless you forgot.” Tony shot Bucky a look, his arm coming to wrap around your shoulder and pulling you into his side, a silent demand for Bucky to keep his charms to himself.

_Barnes? Wait, as in James?_

Your eyes flittered between Steve and Bucky before you put the pieces in place: “Wait, wait, wait; you’re James Barnes and Steve Rogers? As in Barnes and Rogers Attorneys? You guys are the best lawyers out there!”

Although you were slightly embarrassed by your outburst nothing you had said wasn’t true. Barnes and Rogers were the best of the best and their clientele list only proved that fact – they were even the designated attorneys for Stark Industries if you remembered correctly.  Steve and Bucky’s eyebrows both shot up at your exclamation, not expecting to be recognised by one of Tony Starks dates.

“Uh, yeah that’s us. You’ve heard of our work?” Steve was still in shock, not knowing how to handle the sudden attention on him whereas Bucky seemed to be basking in it.

“Of course. I used some of your work as case studies at law school, it’s very impressive stuff.”

This caught all three’s attention; Steve still looking adorably shocked, Bucky leaning forward in his chair and even Nat – who had been pretty adamant on ignoring your presence up until now – arched a brow at you, a look of confusion washing over her features as her eyes darted over to Tony, trying to get a read on him.

“You’re a lawyer?” Bucky asked and you were sure that if his eyebrows got any higher they would be forever lost in his hairline.

You fumbled slightly at this question, were you technically a lawyer if you weren’t employed? More importantly, what exactly were you supposed to tell them?

“Uh y-yes. I’m just taking some time to myself before I jump into the field; I feel like I’ve spent every day of my life studying, I just want some time away before I dedicate myself to the job.” You glanced at Tony who was sipping on the champagne flute in his hands, he offered you a small nod and a smirk and you knew you were on the right track. You relaxed slightly at that, reaching forward for your own glass as you smiled at the people before you.

“So where exactly did you two meet?” You nearly choked on your drink at Natasha’s question but quickly saved yourself from sputtering like a fool.

“Yeah Stark,” Bucky gasped dramatically, clutching his hand to his chest in mock theatrics, “Have you been seeing other lawyers behind our backs? I thought what we had was special!”

You felt Tony stiffen beside you and panic began to set in, the two of you had gone over nearly everything - apart from a story to explain how the hell the two of you had met. Natasha squinted her eyes at you both and you could practically hear the gears whirring in Tony’s head to try and come up with something, anything!

Thinking fast you came up with a something simple and easy to remember in case you were asked again and hoped it would work, you knew the longer you stayed in silence the stranger It looked. “Tony bumped into me on the street one day and I dropped my coffee, he insisted he buy me a new one and we got talking and it lead to him asking me on a date.”

You could see the tension leave Tony’s body as you gave the three of them a plausible explanation, his hand coming to rest on your thigh and giving it a squeeze that said what he currently couldn’t voice – _thank you_. Steve and Bucky seemed to buy it straight away but Natasha still seemed cautious, turning towards Tony and asking him directly, you wouldn’t be able to save him this time. “You brought her to this boring-ass charity event as a first date? This thing is going to drag on for hours.”

“I didn’t bring her here as a first date; our first date was last night,” Tony seemed to have regained his confidence after that little stumble and was currently the perfect picture of relaxation against his friends ruthless questioning; he was reclined against the back of the chair, his arm draped over the back of yours as he swirled his drink around his glass with the other.

His words, however, had all three sets of eyes staring at you both in complete astonishment. Tony had managed to stun Steve so much that his glass had stopped moving towards his lips, frozen in mid-air as he tried to process Tony’s words.

Bucky was the first to break out of whatever spell he was under, shaking his head and letting out a disbelieving chuckle; “I’m sorry – did you just say this was your _second_ date?”

“Yep,” Tony popped the ‘p’, completely unfazed by his friends whereas you were more than confused at their response.

“Huh, I guess pigs really do fly. Tony Stark is on a second date,” Steve muttered under his breath before taking a big drink from his glass.

“You guys should really get used to seeing her face around here cause there’s going to be more dates too.” You turned to face Tony at his words and he offered you a sly smirk to which you could only respond with a shy smile.

The three of them decided to drop the subject, instead asking you about your life – Bucky and Steve particularly interested in your education. The evening seemed to be going smoothly but you still couldn’t shake the idea that Natasha did not like you one bit and you couldn’t help but be intimidated by her.

A few others joined the table, taking the attention of Bucky and Steve off you and you decided to try and forge a steadier footing with Nat, especially if you were going to be spending more time around Tony’s friends. Tony watched with a curious look as you moved to sit next to Nat, taking a shaky breath to steady your nerves, “So what do you do Nat?”

The red-head rolled her eyes at you, opening her mouth to speak but only being cut off by one of the newer guests at the table, Norman Osborn. “Natasha owns Romanoff’s delights, sexiest lingerie there is – I sure as hell won’t fuck a hussy that isn’t in it,” Osborn chuckled, the sound as repulsive as its origins and you could see Nat’s jaw tick as her fists clenched on her lap.

Before she had a chance to retort, your temper got the best of you, your head snapping towards Osborn as your glare burned holes in his head; “I believe I asked Natasha. I suggest you keep your unwanted opinions to yourself,” The man began to snort indignantly as you spoke, seemingly offended at being called out by you, “I just hope to god you provide the girls you fuck with blindfolds cause they sure as hell need them to sleep with you.”

Osborn left in a flurry of mumbled curses, face bright red with mortification at being so publicly humiliated. As he retreated you suddenly became aware of what exactly you said, face burning hot in horror as you felt the stares of four sets of eyes on you, looking around the table you could see the same look of complete and utter shock mirrored on each face and you truly thought that it was all over for you.

That was until Bucky burst out laughing, tears streaming down his face with his mirth, Steve shaking his head as laughter escaped him too. Tony actually looked proud of you, his head tilting back as if he was appraising you, happy with the choice he had made. And Nat? Nat, for the first time since you had walked over to the table, was smiling at you, her green eyes shining with humour and her gaze once again swept over you – only this time it didn’t feel nearly as threatening, more like she was seeing you for the first time.

“Oh god, that was hilarious! Did you see his face?” Bucky had barley recovered from his uproar, eyes wiping away the stray tears.

“This one’s feisty Stark, you so sure you can handle her?” Steve joked, sending a wink your way as he smacked Bucky on the back, trying to calm his friend down.

Tony pressed a kiss to your temple, easing your building nerves as he gave you a reassuring smile, eyes not leaving yours as he answered Steve: “Nope, but I’m sure as hell gonna try.”

After your little outburst, Natasha’s attitude towards you completely changed, her hostility completely vanished and she welcomed you into her little group of friends, enthusiastically telling you about her work, gushing over her fiancé and her upcoming wedding and asking you questions about your own life. This time, however, she held a genuine interest and curiosity rather than probing for information to try and get a read on you. You found yourself relaxing around her and actual started enjoying her company – especially when she started telling you the most hilarious stories about Tony and the ridiculous situations he somehow got himself into.

You couldn’t help the raucous laughter that escaped when Nat told you about the time Tony had to run through a hotel in nothing but his boxers to avoid paparazzi after a failed one-night stand, tears streaming down your cheeks at Nat’s recall of the memorable event and the red-head had to fan herself to try and keep composure, much to Tony’s chagrin but he was pleased you seemed to be mixing well with his friends, it was a promising sign.

Nat tried to stifle her giggles as she spotted a familiar figure make his way through the crowds, the smile that spread across her face the brightest you had seen on her all night and she practically glowed as she locked eyes with the man who you could only assume was the fiancé she had told you about. The man’s eyes that were focused on Nat as if she was the only person in the room, his warm brown skin perfectly complimenting the burgundy suit he wore and you noted how beautiful a couple they made.

“Hey beautiful, sorry I’m late traffic was crazy,” He ducked down, pressing a kiss to Nat’s ruby painted lips which she eagerly responded to.

Breaking away from the kiss, Nat introduced you to her fiancé, “Sam this is Y/N – Tony’s date. Y/N, this is my fiancé, Sam Wilson.”

Sam cast you a bright smile, enthusiastically taking your hand in his and shaking it; “Nice to meet you Y/N, thanks for keeping my girl company whilst I was held up.”

“It was no problem, she’s good fun to be around,” You and Nat shared a smile, something which caused Sam to raise an eyebrow to and he turned to Bucky and Steve quizzically.

“Ok, what’d I miss?”

Such a simple question spouted another round of laughs from the boys and you could only look bashful in response: “We’ll explain later, you want a drink?”

The boys and Nat left towards to the bar leaving you and Tony alone for the first time that night, his arm circled your shoulder pulling you into his chest as he pressed a kiss to your cheek. “How are you feeling?” He murmured into the sensitive skin of your neck before kissing it, teeth nipping it lightly, lips curling into a smirk as he heard you gasp, your hand shooting down to clutch at his thigh.

“Honestly? It’s going great, your friends are really nice,” You hummed as Tony’s beard scratched the column of your throat and it took everything within you to stop yourself from outright moaning at the sensation, “Do you think that little, uh, _outburst_ is going to bother people?”

Tony’s chuckle tickled your skin and you couldn’t help squirming in his hold before he raised his head from where it was buried in your shoulder, turning you to softly kiss your lips as his hand sought out your own, entwining your fingers together and giving you a reassuring squeeze. “Trust me, that was the funniest thing that’s ever happened at one of these things and it sure as hell hasn’t put anyone off you, specially not me. I told you; you’re trouble of the best possible kind. It’s refreshing, for all of us really.”

Not knowing what else to say, you opted to kiss him instead; your lips caressing his, eyes fluttering shut as his hand cupped your neck, tongues tangling in a languid dance, his hand slowly sliding up your thigh as your own hand buried itself in his thick hair. Your first kiss with Tony Stark and my god could you get used to the feeling of those lips on yours. The man had a talented tongue.

You had nearly forgotten you were in a very public place with a very noticeable figure and you definitely had forgotten that this was only your second date with said figure. You had no idea why you were so comfortable around Tony so early on: maybe it was his charms, maybe it was the fact that you knew it wasn’t exactly real, merely beneficial for both parties either way, it didn’t matter.

The sound of someone shouting ‘Stark!’ pulled you out of your thoughts and you detached yourself from Tony, chest slightly heaving and a flush painting your cheeks as you noticed just how lost in the moment you were. Tony cleared his throat, swiping his hands through his hair to fix his tousled tresses and you knew he was as dazed as you, causing a swell of pride to grow inside you – it takes a lot to be able to fluster a playboy.

You both turned to the source of the shouts and you watched as Tony leapt from his seat, a grin on his face as you embraced the man in front of him in a strong hug, “Rhodes, God it’s good to see you. I didn’t know you were back, where’s Carol? How is everything?”

“It’s good to be back Tony, Carol’s flying back in a couple days; I came early to make sure everything was set. Everything’s going great man, business is good, life’s good. I can’t complain about a thing – who’s your friend?”

The man, Rhodes, was clearly a good friend of Tony’s – he was practically flying out of his chair to great him and Rhodes only responded with equal enthusiasm.

Tony turned to you, offering you a hand and helping you out of your seat, wrapping an arm around your waist as he made introductions; “Rhodey, this is Y/N Y/LN, my date. Y/N, this is James Rhodes, my best friend and former trouble-seeking companion, before he became boring of course.” 

Rhodey rolled his eyes at Tony good-naturedly and turned to you with a smile, speaking to you but aiming his words at Tony, “And by ‘becoming boring’ he means settling down, something he should be doing by now – it’s nice to meet you Y/N, good luck with this one, alright?”

You couldn’t help but giggle at the playful banter between the two of them, it was clear that they were good friends with the way that they dug into each other, something only people who are extremely comfortable with each other do.

You spent some time talking with Rhodey, learning more about his life and becoming increasingly impressed the more you heard about him; Rhodey used to be a Colonel in the US Airforce – which is where he met Tony in his weapons manufacturing days but since then had left to start his own business, using his expertise of aircraft to start his own airline with his wife Carol Danvers, which was doing quite well in his own modest opinion.

Rhodey and Tony seemed thrilled to be back together again and Rhodey was only more than willing to tell you of all the ridiculous stunts Tony had pulled; between the stories Rhodey was telling you and what Nat had said you were beginning to wonder how he ever had time to actually invent anything for Stark Industries.

You and Tony spent some more time with Rhodey, his arm not once leaving your waist before another man caught Tony’s attention, this time Tony’s reaction was void of any excitement and he actually seemed nervous. Both you and Rhodey caught the shift in Tony’s demeanour and Rhodey decided to make his exit, telling you it was nice meeting you but he had yet to make his rounds around the room, patting Tony’s arm as he moved past him.

Studying Tony’s face, you noticed how his brow furrowed ever so slightly, his lips drawn tight in a grimace as he studied the older man laughing in a group a few tables away. His attention was solely on him and all traces of happiness he had at seeing his best friend again had vanished. You rested your head on his shoulder, reaching up to press a kiss to his cheek, your hand cradling his face and diverting his attention back to you. “You ok?” you whispered, not wanting anyone to overhear and draw attention to yourselves.

Tony blinked down at you as if he was coming out of a trance, offering you a forced smile that wasn’t fooling you for a second, “I’m fine it’s just - see the guy in with the beard and cigar?” You nodded your head, eyes drifting over to the man that had seized Tony’s attention, “That’s Obadiah Stane, he was one of dad’s business partners, he’s pretty much the only family I have left now. He’s trying his best to help me keep the company but, well, with my track record of recklessness there’s only so much he can do.”

It was obvious how much this all meant to Tony and you vowed to yourself to help him keep his company in any way you could; you’d keep up the charade of the loved-up couple as long as you needed to, “Hey, that’s why I’m here right? It’ll all be ok, the board will vote in your favour, it’s _your_ company. You’re Tony fucking Stark, what would they do without you?”

Tony pulled you into him, his arms encasing your waist in a tight hug as he shot you a crooked smirk, “I just don’t want to let him down.” The words were so faint you may have missed them if you hadn’t been pressed flat against his chest. Your heart nearly broke at the vulnerability Tony was showing you right now, you knew for certain this wasn’t a common occurrence for him - Tony Stark wasn’t a man that easily trusted - but he already had to put a lot of faith in you just to suggest this relationship.

Not having the words to reassure him, you pressed your lips against his in a gentle kiss which he eagerly responded to before breaking away, resting his forehead against yours, “You know, you’re really good at that.”

Giggling, you shook your head at him, “Come on, let’s go say hello.”

Obadiah Stane was a strange man, there was just something about him that you didn’t trust. Whereas Nat didn’t instantly take to you, she was at least obvious about it, Obadiah on the other hand hid his disdain for you, although not that well. You could see the flash of contempt as his eyes roamed over you as Tony introduced you before he schooled his features into an overbearing grin. He was too enthusiastic with his greeting, his grin not faltering for a moment and you knew it was all fake, the man didn’t like you at all and you didn’t know why for the life of you. You would have thought you would have been over the moon at the prospect of Tony showing signs of stability like the board wanted. Apparently not.

You remained silent throughout their conversation and Obadiah made no attempt to even try and talk to you. He and Tony mainly talked business but you could feel the stress rolling off Tony in waves, his body rigid under your hands and you knew he found Obadiah petrifying, there was a seriousness between them that was none-existent with Tony’s other friends. Their talk was brief before Obadiah was moving on, rubbing elbows with other rich businessmen who had little cares other than the absurd amounts of money they had.

“Come on, let’s dance,” Tony led you to the dancefloor, twirling you into his arms before swaying elegantly across the room, the music from the band creating the perfect ambiance for the night. One hand was rested on his shoulder and the other was firmly clasped in his, his hand on your waist pulling you close to his body as you mirrored every step he made, your faces barely a breaths width apart; it was oddly intimate, no words exchanged between the two of you as you simply enjoyed the feeling of being pressed against each other.

You could still hear the gears turning in Tony’s head, his anxiety obvious after his encounter with Obadiah but you didn’t want to talk about him, not trusting him and not wanting to put those feelings on Tony, he was already weighed down with so much. So, you did what you thought was right, you distracted Tony the best way you knew; humour.

 These kinds of places were always full of snooty woman and patronising men and you took advantage of this, casting your eyes around the dancefloor for victims of your game, finding suitable couples and telling Tony your playful thoughts about them much to his amusement.

“See the guy that looks like the fat controller from Thomas the Tank engine dancing with Cruella De Vil?” You cast your eyes the couple stiffly dancing not too far from you, smirking to yourself as Tony subtly turned to see them.

His eyes found them and a cheeky grin spread across his face, biting down on his lower lip to try and stifle the chortle your comparison had brought out of him, not looking away from the short, round man and the tall, thin, woman draped in furs who were rigid in their movements across the dancefloor, heads held obnoxiously high as if they were too good for the present company, “What about them?”

“Bet they have sex as stiffly as they dance; I’m talking full on robotics in the bedroom, it’s not the bed that squeaks its Mr. Roboto and I guarantee her face doesn’t change from _that_ bored as fuck expression the entire time.”

Tony could barely contain his boisterous laughter and you had to bury your face in his chest to muffle the sound of your own giggles, your body shaking with your laughter and you peeked up to see tears forming in the corners of his eyes, face turning red as he tried not to cause a scene.

“You’re unreal, you know that right?” Tony asked.

“Oh I’m very real Mr. Stark, I’m just unlike anyone you’ve ever met before,” You purred into his ear, lips grazing the shell with every words you spoke, the sultry tone of your voice causing Tony’s eyes to dilate with desire.

“Oh Gorgeous, I am really starting to see that,” Tony licked his lips as his eyes glided over yours, desperate to lean forward and close the small gap between you, “Do you want a drink?”

You nodded your head as Tony led you away from the dancefloor and towards the table where Nat, Sam, Steve, and Bucky were all situated, laughing amongst themselves whilst he went to the bar. They welcomed you back, all animosity that Nat previously held for you gone as if it was never there and she even gestured to the seat next to her for you to sit in as Tony got you your drinks. You were quickly pulled into the conversation they were having, Nat and Sam telling everyone about the engagement party they were planning, hands entwined the entire time, looking at each other as if they were the most incredible thing they had ever seen; it was obvious they were head over heels in love with each other.

Tony returned with your drinks, pressing a kiss to your forehead as he sat down next to you, the action not going unnoticed by the others who were still very stumped as to what exactly was going on with Tony; this was not typical Tony Stark behaviour, that was for sure. Nevertheless, no one mentioned it and the conversation continued, laughs being shared amongst everyone and you felt yourself relaxing amongst your new company; they were good people and you were enjoying yourself which is far more than you thought would happen tonight.

The night went on until you excused yourself to go to the bathroom, Nat jumping out of her seat to accompany you, her sudden excitement to head to the bathroom with you confused you but you let it slide – maybe she just wanted to make amends for how she treated you earlier.

Once you were finished, you excited the stall to find Nat checking the others to make sure that you two were actually alone in the room before she turned to you, arms crossed against her chest as a sly smirk curled her lips, “It’s been bugging me all night – you and Tony. But I think I finally have it figured out.”

You tried to fight the rising fear in you, there was no way she could possibly know the truth, right? You hadn’t once mentioned the situation between you and Tony, how the hell could she actual see it after one night? Dear God, how obvious had you been? You attempted to school your features into a look of confusion but you knew your eyes were wide, giving you the look of a dear caught in headlights.

“What do you mean? We’re just dating Nat,” You cursed yourself for the way your voice broke at the end but Natasha Romanoff was an frightening woman, there was no avoiding that fact, especially when she appeared to be aiming her efforts at you.

“But it’s not just dating, is it? You’ve got a _special_ arrangement going on; I couldn’t figure it out a first, you’re not one of Stark’s typical dates – you know how to use a knife and fork for starters and you could actually hold a conversation about something other than nailcare – but I still couldn’t figure out what exactly was going on between you. Then it hit me, when he took you over to Obadiah, you’ve got a very _specific_ purpose for him. You’re the girl that’s going to make Tony Stark look domesticated, tamed from his wild playboy days and seem capable enough to run his own business that is being threatened to be taken away from him. But you’re smart and he wouldn’t be able to string you along without you realising, which means you’re in on it too, and getting something out of it.”

“You’re not choosing to spend some time away from the job you worked so long to get, are you? You can’t actually find one, it’s a tough world and sometimes life just doesn’t work the way you want. Just tell me something though; how the hell did Tony Stark find his _sugar baby_?”

You were going to be sick. Physically sick.

No one was supposed to know and not even one night into this relationship you’d already been called out. There was no way you could deny it, Nat had everything figured out and you could only stand there gapping at her, struggling to form the words needed to explain yourself.

With a sigh, you ducked your head, trying to avoid Nat’s smug smile as she watched you try to worm your way out of the situation. “Online – there was a website I signed up for and we started talking,” You relented, words tinged with dejection.

_Oh god, was she going to tell everyone?_

“My god, there is literally a website for everything these days – that’s sure as hell not how I did it.”

Your head snapped up at her words. ‘Not how she did it’? Surely that didn’t mean what you thought it did.

“I- you- What?” You stammered out in the most inelegant fashion, chastising yourself in your head for sounding like a bumbling idiot.

Before Nat had a chance to answer you, the door to the bathroom opened and two giggling, clearly intoxicated girls tried to enter. Emphasis on _tried_.

Nat’s head snapped in their direction, barking “Out!” at them and watching them immediately turn on their heel and head towards another restroom in the hotel. Even you jumped at the severity of her voice but when she turned back to you she held nothing but humour in her expression.

“Of course, how did you think I met Sam?” She stated, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Maybe she thought everyone was as perceptive as she apparently was.

“Wait, so, you were Sam’s... sugar baby?” You were uncertain in your asking, praying to every God there was that you hadn’t somehow misread this whole situation and were making a complete fool of yourself.

Nat’s melodic laughter caught you off guard and you panicked thinking you really had got this whole thing wrong. “Oh no sweetness, _I_ wasn’t the sugar baby – he was.”

Noticing your slack jaw, Natasha explained herself further, “I didn’t want to date but everyone else expected it of me – commitment wasn’t my forte and I had some severe trust issues – but I still had to come to these god-forsaken things and listen to people’s judgements of me. Appearances mean a lot in this world and the pressure was starting to get to me, and then I met Sam. He had just lost his job as an accountant and, well, you can’t live in New York for free. So, I propositioned him, I pay him a hefty salary to follow me everywhere and anywhere I needed him too. The whole world would think he was my boyfriend, getting every gossip monger out there off my back, and Sam wouldn’t be homeless. It was a win-win.”

“So, the engagement?”

“Oh no, that’s all real. God, I wouldn’t go as far as to fake a marriage. I guess one day it just wasn’t acting anymore, I genuinely loved him, he just became my person, you know? The one person you turn to for everything; all the good times and the bad, your shoulder to cry on and your body to hug in happiness. And I, unknowingly, became that for him. I knew the original deal wouldn’t work anymore now that I loved him, so I let him go, got him a job as an accountant at a good company and honestly, I never expected to see him again. But if Sam’s good at one thing, it’s his ability to always be able to surprise me. I let him go, but he was still always there for me. I guess that’s when the real thing began and now we’re here, ready to be together for the rest of our lives.”

By the time Nat had finished, she had a wistful smile on her face from remembering all the things she had shared with Sam and you couldn’t stop your own smile from lighting up your face as you heard the red-head gush about her fiancé.

“You’re not going to tell anyone about me and Tony, right Nat?” You were still unsure what Nat was going to do and you wrung your hands together as you awaited her answer.

“God no! I would never do that, I swear,” She moved towards you, placing her hands on your shoulders, “I just wanted you to know that I know what you’re going through, trust me when I say that this isn’t always going to be easy but if you need someone to talk to, I’m here.”

You heaved a sigh of relief, thanking the woman in front of you that had only known you for a few hours and yet was still showing you so much kindness. You’re first impression of her was wrong, that was for sure.

“Don’t worry about it. Honestly, I’m kinda glad to have you around, it’s a very testosterone filled environment and to say you make things interesting is an understatement,” Nat shot you a wink, clearly referring to your slight confrontation earlier.

You and Nat didn’t realise how long you had been in the restroom, time becoming lost to you both as Nat told you about the time her and Sam got a little _reckless_ at a charity auction and had to walk out in front of everyone completely dishevelled as they were bidding off Jane Fonda’s leotard. Hearing about how Nat’s panties were clearly sticking out of Sam’s back pocket as they made their way down the centre aisle of the auction had you clutching your stomach in hysterics, Nat’s laughter just as boisterous.

“Worth it though, that boy has the finest ass, that’s for sure,” Nat quipped, causing another round of laughter from the pair of you.

It was only when a knock sounded on the door and you both turned to see Tony peeking his head into the room, his brow raised as he watched you and Nat laughing together, “Uh, Romanoff? Do you _maybe_ think I can take my date back? You guys have been in here forever.”

“Gee, I don’t know Stark. I might want to keep her,” Nat hopped off the basin countertop she was sitting on, linking her arm through yours and walking towards the door where Tony stood, utterly perplexed at what he was seeing.

Nat stopped in front of Stark, detaching her arm from yours and leaving you with Tony, walking back to the table and Sam but not before calling over her shoulder, “I like this one, Stark. You better keep her around.”

You were certain you could have knocked Tony down with a feather with how stunned his was and you couldn’t help but giggle at him, he looked awfully adorable when he was baffled like this.

“Ok, were you eating her out in there or something?”

The seriousness of his absurd question caused you to choke on your, “What on God’s earth are you talking about Tony?”

“How the hell did you get Natasha Romanoff to like you after _one night_? It took her years to warm up to me!”

“I’m just a very likeable person Mr. Stark, I thought you knew that by now,” You grabbed Tony’s hand and starting walking backwards, pulling him along with you, “But if you want, I can show you how _likeable_ I can be later.”

Shaking his head, Tony quickly closed the space between you, his arms snaking around your hips and pulling you flush to him, crashing his lips on yours in a breath-taking kiss, tongue dancing with yours before pulling away, nipping at your bottom lip as he did and a slight moan escaped you at the action.

“Believe me Gorgeous, I know just how _likeable_ you are. Now come on,” Tony began walking through the crowds and towards the exit to which you furrowed your brows.

“Where are we going?”

“I’ve wanted to head straight to my apartment and skip this whole thing ever since I saw you tonight, we’re going back to mine - it’s time for your second _interview_ Sugar, and something tells me you aren’t about to disappoint.”


	4. Chapter 4

The journey to Tony’s apartment was steaming with tension, the silence between you deafening as Tony’s thumb traced circles on your thigh, unwilling to stop touching you for even a second. Part of you felt sorry for Happy who had to endure your sexually charged journey but the bigger part of you was too focused on what was going to happen once you were finally alone with Tony, your body practically strumming with excitement.

The car finally pulled to a stop outside of Avengers Building, the most luxurious living complex in all of New York which was - of course - owned by Tony. You could have sworn you heard Happy exhale a sigh of relief of finally being free of you two but you were far too distracted by Tony tugging on your arm and pulling you out of the car towards the building.

“Good Evening Mr. Stark,” The greying doorman greeted, opening the door for the pair of you and nodding in welcome.

“Hey Stan,” Tony mumbled in response, far too focused on getting you to his bedroom to offer the man anything more.

Tony’s eyes were solely focused on the elevators at the end of the lobby, his pace quickening as the concierge at the desk bid him hello, shouting a hey to the man apparently called Scott in return but not stopping his brisk walk to the elevators at all, you still trailing behind him, finding his enthusiasm more than amusing but understanding his need to be alone all the same.

 Your brows furrowed when Tony walked past all the other elevators and towards a very specific one, his hand landing on the panel on the side which lit up at his touch, scanning his print before lighting up green, the doors opening as they were unlocked and Tony hurrying you both in. The doors slowly closed once you were inside and the elevator started its unhurried ascent to Tony’s floors, completely unaware of the desperation of its occupants.

Unable to take it any longer, Tony gently shoved you against the cold steel wall, his body caging you against his as his lips descended on yours in a hungry kiss, hand tangling in your hair as his other hand trailed down your thigh to your hip the dress rising with it, hoisting your leg around his waist as he grinded his hardening length into your core. You moaned into his mouth when his tongue tangled with yours, nails raking through his thick hair which drew a groan from deep within his chest, his hips involuntarily rutting into yours at the action.

When the need for air became too much, you both pulled your lips away from the other but Tony didn’t move an inch away from you, your body still pressed between him and the elevator wall, his beautiful brown eyes nearly black with how blown his pupils were, desire evident in his smouldering gaze and you doubted you looked much different at this point.

The ping of the doors opening caused you both to jump, realising that the elevator had come to a stop at Tony’s penthouse and was now waiting for you to disembark. Tony’s gaze flittered from his now visible home to you, a cheeky grin growing on his lips as he lifted you up until you wrapped both legs firmly around his waist, squealing at the sudden shift as he hastily made his way through his apartment.

Tony’s near-run to his bedroom was interrupted at random points by him pushing you against the wall when the need to have his lips on your skin became too much, sucking marks into the flesh of your neck that were certain to leave very noticeable bruises. The staircase you went up proved to be a challenge that you both couldn’t help but laugh at, Tony finally relenting and placing you on your feet. Your lips found his in a slow kiss, the both of you losing yourself to the sensuality of it, your hands winding around his neck as Tony’s settled on your waist before you pulled away with a sly grin, turning away and darting up the rest of the stairs, Tony hot on your heels as he laughed at your antics.

It didn’t take long to find Tony’s bedroom, rushing into the lavish space, eyeing the bed you were sure you would be becoming very familiar with. You didn’t have time to fully examine your surroundings before you heard Tony enter, turning on the spot in the centre of the room as he stalked towards you like a predator cornering its prey. His hungry gaze washed over you as he approached, sinister grin growing with every step he took.

Your chest was heaving with every breathe you took, tongue poking out to wet your lower lip as the suspense between the two of you grew, Tony stopping a breathes way from you, fingers brushing against yours at your sides. The tension reached breaking point when Tony’s eyes darted from yours to your lips, the pair of you pouncing on each other in a desperate need to feel the other, hands roaming over every part of clothed skin they could find in their frantic search as your lips engaged in a passionate kiss.

Tony’s hands found the zip on the back of your dress, slowly dragging it down and tugging the material off your body so it pooled at your feet, leaving you in nothing but your underwear, heels and jewels. Pulling away, Tony appraised your bare form, teeth dragging over his lower lip as his warm eyes glistened with _want_.

“ _Fuck, pretty baby_ ,” Three simple words muttered under his breath still had enough power to make you weak at the knees, a wave of arousal dampening your panties at the complete wrecked tone of his voice.

Running your hands down Tony’s shirt clad chest, nails lightly scratching as you did, you stepped back from him, looking up at him through your lashes as you sank to your knees in front of him. “This is still an interview, right Mr. Stark?” You purred at him as your fingers toyed with the buckle on his belt.

Tony took a shark intake of breath at the sight of you kneeling before him, peering up at him with the most innocent look he had ever seen and he was sure he would go insane if nothing happened soon. Swallowing hard against the sudden dryness invading his mouth, Tony could only nod numbly at you, heartbeat speeding up as he watched the sultry smirk splay across your lips.

“Guess I better impress you then, huh _Daddy_?”

A guttural moan tore itself from Tony’s throat at the name but you didn’t give him any time to respond, instead you quickly unbuckled his belt - the clanging sound of metal music to both yours and Tony’s ears - before you yanked his trousers down his legs, his boxers following suit, freeing his half-hard cock which you immediately took into your spit-slicked hand, pumping his length until he was fully erect.

Keeping eye contact with Tony, your tongue darted out, flicking against the head of his cock and lapping up the pre-cum beading there. The sharp hiss sounding above you was all the encouragement you needed to go on; lips wrapping around his dick as you slowly sank down, taking more and more of him into your mouth as Tony’s hand tugged your hair out of your face, his eyes squeezed shut in pleasure as you began to bob your head, his abdominal muscles clenching as your tongue traced the prominent vein on the underside of his cock.

Your hands traced the skin on the back of his thighs, muscles twitching under your touch as you continued to work your mouth over Tony’s throbbing cock, praises and profanities falling from his lips which only served to egg you on, forcing your mouth to take more of him until he hit the back of your throat and moaning around him.

“ _F-fuck_ , such a good fucking girl. Taking daddy’s cock _so_ good,” Tony’s stuttered litany only fuelled your own desire, heat pooling in your core.

Wanting to see him come undone, to taste him on your tongue and knowing you were the cause of it, you bobbed your head along his length, lapping at his sensitive tip as his hips jerked of their own accord. Your hands moved to cradle his balls and it wasn’t long before his grip on your hair was tightening, hips thrusting into your awaiting mouth as he came with a deep groan, panting harshly as you sucked him clean, body spasming with his release.

You pulled off Tony with a pop, licking your lips for show as your slowly rose from your knees, Tony’s hooded gaze following every move you made. When you were finally standing before him, he wasted no time in picking you up and throwing you down on the plush bed, landing with a bounce. Tony didn’t even hesitate in toeing his shoes off, kicking his trousers and underwear to the side as he practically tore his shirt from his body; you could have sworn you had never seen anyone undress so quickly in your whole life.

Crawling up your body, Tony littered kisses along the soft expanse of your thighs, skipping over where you wanted him most and trailing his lips up your stomach to your chest, pausing to cup your breasts, burying his face in the sensitive globes of flesh, gently nipping at the skin before he continued his quest up your body, completely ignoring the fact that you were already writhing beneath him and he hadn’t even started yet. But then again you imagined infamous playboy Tony Stark was used to this sort of thing.

Tony’s nose traced the skin of your neck, lips caressing the exposed column as you tilted your head back to give him more room, hands clutching the bedsheets as Tony teased you relentlessly. “Fuck, _please_ daddy,” You whined, hips bucking of their own accord, desperate for him to do something – _anything._

The sound of Tony’s dark chuckle met your ears, his lust-blown eyes meeting yours as he propped himself over you, “God, you sound so fucking good when you beg. Don’t worry pretty baby, I’ll give you what you need.”

Making quick work of your bra, Tony flung the offending item to the side, warm mouth covering one nipple as he pinched the other between his fingers causing you to cry out at the sensitivity before he switched. Lavishing the other bud with equal attention, his mouth suckling at it before his teeth lightly scrapped over the hardened nub, smirking around it as you whimpered.

Detaching himself from your chest, Tony crawled south down your body towards your pantie-covered core, taking the hem between his teeth and slowly dragging them down your legs, his eyes not once straying from yours. They landed amongst all the other clothes scattering the bedroom floor and just as you were about to kick your heels off, Tony’s hand shot out to grasp your ankle, halting your movements as he pressed a kiss on your calf.

“Keep ‘em on,” He murmured, beard scratching your skin with every word he spoke and you couldn’t help but giggle, at the feeling of his course hair tickling your flesh or from the fact that Tony Stark was one filthy motherfucker who apparently had a heel kink you weren’t sure.

However, your laughter was soon cut short, morphing into high-pitched shriek when Tony dived between your legs, heaving your legs over his shoulders and burying his face into your core, tongue lapping at your glistening folds like a man starved. Your entire body jolted at the feeling, one hand clawing at the bedsheets beneath you as the other weaved through Tony’s hair, tugging at the dark strands.

Tony took his sweet time exploring your slick pussy, tongue licking a strip from your opening to your clit, trailing over every part of you he could reach before his lips wrapped around your clit, sucking the sensitive nub into his mouth and flicking his tongue over it repeatedly, desire-glazed eyes watching as your face contorted in bliss. You unknowingly dug your heels into Tony’s back as the coil in your core tightened, Tony groaning into you at the pain-pleasure that your stilettos bought him, the vibrations of his moans causing your head to spin.

Your orgasm hit you out of nowhere, thighs trembling around Tony’s head as he continued to lap at everything you gave him, the obscene slurping sounds cutting through your carnal howls as your hips grinded against his face to try and prolong the toe-curling ecstasy that you were drowning in.

Sweat beaded on your brow as your chest heaved, eyes still clenched shut as you came down from your high, Tony now hovering over you, covering your neck and chest in chaste kisses. Your eyes fluttered open, seeing Tony right above you with a roguish grin adorning his face as he stared down at you and you couldn’t help but grin back at him.

“Looks like someone _really_ likes high heels,” You teased him, biting down on your lip as you did and watching as his eyes eagerly followed the action.

“Sweetheart you have no idea,” Tony moaned out, hips rolling into yours so you could feel his once-again hard cock, the head catching on your still throbbing clit as he did causing you to grip his arms as a pleasure-filled hiss escaped through your clenched teeth.

Cupping his neck, you drew Tony’s lips back to yours in a languid kiss, pulling away to murmur against them his undoing; “ _Fuck me daddy_.”

Scrambling for his bedside drawer, Tony pulled out a condom, tearing the foil and rolling the rubber down his length before he situated himself above you once more, cradling your jaw in his hand as his thumb traced over your cheekbone.

“You ready?” Tony asked one last time, eyes locked on yours as he positioned the head of his cock at your entrance, waiting for you to give him the go ahead.

You, of course, eagerly nodded your consent and Tony wasted no time pushing into your wet heat, the pair of your grunting and groaning at the feeling of your walls tightly wrapped around Tony’s cock. Your lips locked in a sloppy kiss as Tony gave you time to adjust to the intrusion, patiently waiting with great restraint for you to tell him to move and when you finally rolled your hips against his in a silent go-ahead he immediately began to thrust his hips into yours, shallowly at first but gaining momentum in no time until every drive of his cock into your cunt hit the deepest parts of you, catching against your sensitive spots every time.

Tony buried his face in your neck as you threw your head back, his soft pants and muttered praises nearly lost by your elated cries, hands clawing at the exposed skin of Tony’s back leaving angry red marks in their wake as your ankles locked across his waist, heels slightly grazing the globes of his ass with every roll of his hips.

“You feel so fucking incredible around me babygirl – _fuck_ ,” Tony grunted out, voice hoarse and eyes clenched shut as his body moved in perfect sync with yours.

His hand moved down to grip your thigh, pulling your leg higher over his waist, opening you up more for him to hit _deeper_ within you and you could have sworn you were seeing stars, your second orgasm of the night building and building like a heavy pressure that was ready to burst. The feeling of your silken cunt pulsing around his length tipped Tony off to your approaching end, lifting his head from your neck to press against your forehead, eyes locked on your lust-glazed own as a dopey smirk played at his lips.

“You gonna cum for me again? Gonna let that pretty little pussy milk me dry? Come on pretty baby, cum for me, you look so fucking sexy when you cum,” Tony whispered in your ear, teeth nipping at the lobe before he pressed a kiss just below on your jawline as his hand travelled from your thigh to your clit, circling the swollen bud until your body couldn’t take any more and came for the second time that night.

“ _Good girl_ ; fuck baby,” Tony praised you as you convulsed beneath him, your walls clenching around him enough to bring on his own release, hips stuttering into yours as he filled the condom with a groan.

Collapsing on top of you, Tony pressed soft kisses on your shoulder as you lazily stroked his back, the both of you panting harshly after such mind-blowing sex as you attempted to come down from your highs. Eventually, Tony pulled out of you with a groan, both of you still feeling over-sensitive and as Tony set about disposing of the condom you slipped from the bed and headed to the en-suite to freshen up, kicking off your heels as you went.

Padding back into the bedroom, you found Tony already reclining in bed, arms supporting his head as he watched you with a lazy grin but you suddenly found yourself unsure; did you stay or go? What was Tony expecting you to do?

Seemingly noticing your internal dilemma, Tony pulled the cover away on the empty side of the bed, patting the mattress in invitation and your tired muscles needed no other encouragement to crawl into bed next to Tony.

To your surprise, Tony pulled you close to him, your head resting on his chest as his arm wrapped securely around your waist. It was then that you noticed the raised scarring that ran down the length of his sternum, fingers tracing along the knotted flesh before Tony’s hand shot up to stop you, instead lacing your fingers with his, resting your joined hands on his stomach.

“It’s just scarring from the explosion, don’t worry about it,” He mumbled out and you could tell that he didn’t want to talk about it any further.

Dropping the subject entirely and shifting the focus away from his past traumas, you asked the only thing you could think of in that moment; “So Mr. Stark, how did my second interview go?”

Peering down at you, Tony took in the cheeky grin on your face, eyes bright with mirth and he could feel his lips curling in his own smirk, chest rumbling with a chuckle at your question. Tony knew the answer long before you entered his bedroom and he was glad his intuition was right, “Sweetness, after that performance I can assure you the gig is yours.”

You giggled as Tony pressed a kiss on your crown, elated that the night was a success, the ache between your legs reminding you that it was successful in more ways than one. Squeezing your hand to get your attention, you turned your attentions back to Tony, “Get some sleep Y/N, we can go through everything else tomorrow.”


	5. Chapter 5

You woke the next morning with a groan, stretching out your limbs as you snuggled further into the sheets after one of the best night’s sleep you have ever had – something you were sure was down to the exhaustion you were in doubled with the luxury mattress you were sprawled across. Your hand reached over to Tony’s side of the bed, feeling it empty the spot where he lay already cold and you wondered just how long he’d been up.

Pulling on your panties and Tony’s dress shirt from last night, the material falling to your upper thigh, you deemed it presentable enough to go and find Tony in - it wasn’t like he had roommates after all. You wandered through Tony’s bedroom, taking in your surroundings for the first time given you were far too _occupied_ to do so last night, taking in the splendour that was the penthouse suite of Avengers building.

You stepped into the bathroom, splashing your face with water and trying to make your hair somewhat presentable instead of the ‘I-had-sex-all-night’ look you were currently sporting. When you lifted your arms, the collar of the shirt fell off your shoulder and the multiple hickeys littering your neck were revealed; you were definitely going to have to invest in some heavy-duty concealer if this was going to be a common occurrence.

You noticed how modern and sleek the design of his apartment was, every single thing there the latest and most up-to-date model, and you honestly didn’t expect anything less from the infamous billionaire. Walking down the hall, towards the staircase, you noticed there was something that was just _missing_ from Tony’s home but you couldn’t quite place what it was, pushing the thought to the back of your mind as you searched for the man himself.

You found Tony in the kitchen, preparing a cup of coffee in what looked like the most high-tech coffee machine you had ever seen, wearing nothing but a pair of joggers and a black sabbath t-shirt. He turned when he heard you enter, giving you a once over with a smug smirk on his legs, no doubt admiring his handy-work as you tried to tug the shirt lower on your thighs, fighting the heat burning your cheeks.

“Mornin’ Gorgeous, and what a good morning it is; how could it not be after a night like last night huh?” Tony drawled, cocky as ever before he offered you a cup of coffee to which you eagerly accepted.

Sipping on what had to be the most perfectly balanced cup of coffee you had ever had, you took a seat at the breakfast bar as Tony leant against it on the opposite side. “How long have you been up?”

“Uh, yeah, about that; I don’t sleep much, you’re probably gonna wake up alone the entire time we do this, hope that’s not a problem.” Tony was unable to meet your gaze as he spoke and you knew you were broaching a subject he wanted to avoid.

“No, no, that’s no problem – how come you don’t sleep much? That big brain of yours coming up with new ways to change the future?”

Tony took the opportunity to steer the conversation away from whatever was bothering him, chuckling as he nodded his head, “Something like that, I normally end up in the lab working on something or other. Sometimes projects just won’t let me sleep, gotta do it until it’s done.”

“Lab? You have a lab - _here_?” You asked incredulously, what kind of a penthouse had a full lab in it?

“It’s downstairs,” Tony nodded towards the staircase that had both a tier up and down, “I’ll give you a tour of the place after breakfast.”

It was at the mention of breakfast that you realised just how hungry you were, your eyes glancing around the kitchen in search of what might be cooking and finding nothing. You arched a brow at Tony as your gaze flittered between the completely barren kitchen and the man before you, a silent question of ‘what breakfast?’

Tony snorted, rolling his eyes at you light-heartedly: “Yeah, no; I don’t cook, I have never once turned that cooker on and I don’t intend to start – by breakfast I meant food was coming to us.”

“God, you are such a _rich boy_ ,” You teased, leaning forward until you were only a breaths way from his face.

“I could have sworn you liked the fact that I was a rich boy,” He muttered, eyes drifting from yours to your lips before he closed the distance between you, lips pressing against yours in a languid kiss.

The sound of someone clearing their throat caused you both to jump apart, you nearly falling out of your seat with the force, your head snapping towards the source of the interruption and finding a tall redhead in the doorway, sharp features and a business-like aura surrounding her. She held a paper bag of what you could only guess was your breakfast and under her other arm she had a dossier folder and tablet.

“Y/N, this is my PA: Miss Pepper Potts, soon to be Mrs Pepper Hogan, she is pretty much the only reason I have any semblance of a functioning life,” Tony introduced you to the woman who gave you a smile and nod in greeting, moving further into the kitchen and placing the paper bag on the island between you and Tony.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Stark has told me a lot about you,” You quirked a brow at Tony as Pepper turned her attentions to him, “I got everything you asked for and I’m assuming everything’s a go here?”

Tony was too busy rummaging through the bag to may too much attention to Pepper, waving her off with a grunt causing the redhead to roll her eyes, her attentions once again returning to you as she pulled the tablet and dossier file in front of you.

“Here’s a contract for the whole arrangement; nothing too complicated, just a simple list of expectations and such. I’m sure Mr. Stark has told you that this ‘relationship’ has to remain a relationship for the eyes of the press and public; so, you won’t be allowed to date anyone else for the duration of this and discretion with such an arrangement is needed, of course.”

You read every line of the contract, your lawyer instincts kicking in at the word but it was nothing to be concerned with like Pepper had said; it was just the sum of money that would be paid, the fact that you would be expected to post on social media flaunting the relationship, you weren’t to talk to any press about the relationship, so on so forth - all the stuff you were expecting.

You signed your name at the bottom and handed the papers back to Pepper who filed them away, placing the tablet in front of you and asking you to place your hand on the screen and then the other.

“This gives you access to the elevator downstairs and I’ll inform building staff to permit you access to the building at all times, and that’s pretty much everything for now. Tony do you need anything else?”

Tony sat with a mouth fall of pancake, shaking his head and trying to talk with his mouth full, the words muffled by food: “No thanks Pep.”

Sighing, Pepper turned on her heel and made her way to the elevator as Tony pulled the rest of the food out of the bag, every type of breakfast you could think of packed into one paper bag and you were beginning to understand that this man didn’t do a single thing by half.

You ate breakfast together, Tony warning you about the press and Babble Babe who would no doubt be featuring you on their page frequently now, but it was nothing you couldn’t handle. After you finished eating, you were taken for a tour of the penthouse as promised; the layout was simple enough but every part of it looked like it was designed for a luxury property magazine, nevertheless there was still something _off_ about the apartment that you couldn’t quite place. The view from the windows was the main selling-point of the entire place though, floor-to-ceiling windows that gave you the perfect outlook of New York City.

It seemed crazy that after only a few days your life had changed so drastically; you were in Tony Stark’s penthouse in one of the most luxurious buildings in Manhattan, you no longer had to worry about money, one of the most beautiful dresses you had ever seen – that you could have never afford – was on Tony’s bedroom floor, and in that moment, staring at the bustling city below you, you knew that your life was never going to be the same again.


	6. Chapter 6

It had been a few weeks since you had signed the contract at Tony’s apartment and your relationship with him had officially began and you were honestly loving every minute of it. The stress of money worries no longer affected you; all your bills were paid on time, you never went into your overdraft anymore, and Tony had even paid off your remaining student debt, although that was after you had given him one of the best blowjobs of his life.

His words, not yours.

* * *

 

_Tony’s head fell back against couch as he buried his fingers in your hair, stuttering out curses as your head bobbed up and down his hard cock, tongue laving attention to his sensitive head and lapping up the beads of pre-cum gathering on the tip. Your hand pumped the base that couldn’t fit in your mouth, both working together to bring Tony closer and closer to his end._

_His cock started to twitch in your mouth signalling his impending orgasm but before he could paint your tongue with his cum, you pulled off of his length, hand only slightly gripping him leaving him completely on the edge as you grinned up at him from between his legs._

_Tony’s head snapped up from where it was resting, fingers tightening in your hair to try and bring your mouth back down on his cock and groaning when you refused to move. He stared down at you incredulously, unbelieving what you had just done to him._

_“You can’t be serious?” He panted out, brows quirking as you offered him a saccharine-sweet smile._

_You giggled as you pressed soft kisses along his length, “Just trust me, it’ll be worth it.”_

_You brought Tony to the edge five more times; tongue tracing every inch of his hot cock that it could reach, your saliva coating his entire length and dripping down onto his balls, the prominent vein on the underside of his cock pulsing with his desperate need to find release and Tony was a complete mess above you._

_His shirt was unbuttoned but still on, giving you a clear view of his chest and stomach that were shinning with a light sheen of sweat, his trousers and boxers were tugged down to his thighs, enough to free his cock to you and you hadn’t bothered discarding them the rest of the way once you had what you wanted. His normally warm brown eyes were lost to his blazing black pupils, the lust burning so hot within them you felt yourself melt at the sight, his bottom lip swollen and red from where he had been biting down on it in an attempt to hold in his cries._

_After deciding that he had been pushed far enough, you took him back into your mouth, lips tight around his throbbing cock as you pushed yourself down until he hit the back of your throat, sucking harshly as he released on your tongue, letting out a guttural groan as his hips lightly thrust into your mouth as you licked him clean._

_You pulled off his softening dick with a pop, licking your lips as you crawled onto his lap and nuzzled into his neck, pressing gentle kisses there and feeling his hammering heartbeat under your lips. Tony lay spent on the couch, limbs limp as he came down from his high, letting out a satisfied sigh when your fingers started to trace patterns on his chest._

_“Best. Head. Ever.” He exclaimed through ragged breaths, a dopey grin on his face as he ran a hand through his tousled hair._

_You woke the next morning with a pleasant ache present in every muscle of your body; after Tony had recovered he had lifted you from his lap and practically sprinted to his bedroom to return to favour, keeping you awake until the early hours of the morning – not that you were complaining of course._

_The sound of your phone ringing brought you out of your sleepy daze, reaching over to answer with a groggy voice and wondering who the hell would be calling you this early. Your confusion only mounted when the person on the line informed you they were from the federal student aid, confirming with you that your remaining student debt had been all paid off, clicking off and leaving you speechless as you processed what had just happened._

* * *

 

It wasn’t just the fact that money was no longer a worry anymore that you had to get used to, no, you had to adapt to the whole new lifestyle you were leading. Before you met Tony, you’d struggle to fill your fridge and now you were dinning out most days at some of the most elite restaurants in New York City, all your clothes were now designer, and you frequently frequented high-end beauty salons, normally with Natasha.

Your budding friendship with Natasha had come as a bit of a shock to you, for Tony and the rest of his group of friends it had come as a down-right scandal but you honestly couldn’t care in the least, Natasha was fast becoming one of your closest friends, regardless of your rocky start, and you treasured her dearly. She could go from recommending a new shade of lipstick, to giving you sex tips, to giving you unparalleled life advice all in one breath.

Whenever Tony was busy with work and you were bored out of your mind waiting for him, you could always count on Nat to whisk you away to an impromptu nail appointment or facial session. If you were ever stressed, then she’d take you to the best cafés to order coffee and work through whatever was bugging you.

And this new-found friendship worked both ways too, of course; whenever the wedding planning got too much, you’d be there to help her work through her ideas. If condescending businessmen tried to talk down to her, you were there to hold her back from doing something regrettable, shooing them away with a flick of your hair and a final jab at their expense.

You’d discovered that Nat had trouble trusting people – which was probably why everyone else was so shocked at your budding friendship with the redhead – but she trusted you and in that trust, she had found a true friend. Honestly, part of you believed that before you came along Nat was lonely, sure she had Sam and the rest of the boys but she didn’t have a girlfriend who was there for her through thick and thin, something you thought she secretly craved.  

Every one of Tony’s friends had been nothing but welcoming to you; Sam was unbelievably funny, his never-ending banter with Bucky the source of many of your tears but he also had such a sweet-side to him and you could see why he and Nat worked so well together. They complimented each other perfectly; bringing out what the other tried to hide from the rest of the world.

Steve was a perfect gentlemen, there was no doubt about it, but once he came out of his shell you saw just how reckless he could be, always up for doing the most ridiculous stunts with Sam and Bucky.

Like the time they decided to have a diving contest into the rooftop pool at the Gansevoort Hotel. From the top of the poolside bar that was over 20 feet high. Whilst they were still in their suits.

How they had even gotten up there was a mystery to you but you and Nat were literally forced to talk them down, all while Tony complained that you should let them at least try as he stood there with his phone out ready to capture the footage.

Bucky was, well, _Bucky_. A huge flirt if ever you’d met one – much to Tony’s annoyance – but something didn’t feel sincere about it. Not in a bad way of course, just like he was trying too hard to come onto you, especially when there were women falling at his feet left right and centre. But with a jawline like his you couldn’t really blame them. You figured that he continued his incessant flirting with you just to get a rise out of Tony, not that you minded; usually after Bucky had spent an evening loudly complimenting every single thing about you, Tony would drag you back to his place and fuck you so hard you’d forget just who the hell Bucky was.

That was definitely one the most amazing benefits of this relationship; to say Tony Stark was skilled in the bedroom was most certainly an understatement. The man seemed to have a never-ending list of skills: his tongue, his hands, his lips, his cock – you were certain he must have been crafted by some sort of sex-crazed doctor Frankenstein who only used body parts from the most skilled porn stars in the world.

And his _stamina_ , Tony may have been slightly older than you but he sure as hell wasn’t slowing down any time soon. You were certain that you’d never been more sexually satisfied in your whole life than you had been this past few weeks and part of you worried that he may have gone and ruined you for every other man out there, but that was a problem for future you.

Of course, there were some downsides to this relationship; you found yourself often in the spotlight of trashy gossip magazines and Babble Babe who were doing everything to try and pick yours and Tony’s relationship apart, they commented on every tiny detail about you and sometimes it got a little much, your insecurities would make themselves known and you’d need to be reminded by Tony or Nat just how wrong they were, that it was just trash journalism that only made sales by how malicious they could be.

Not only was paparazzi and sleazy journalists a common occurrence for you now but Wanda still hadn’t warmed up to the idea of you and Tony, even though you repeatedly told her everything was going great between you. Wanda was only looking out for you, you knew that, and after your last boyfriend you could understand why she was being so protective, especially considering Tony’s reputation.

She was simply scared that a day would come where all this would blow up in your face but for the sake of your friendship, you’d both agreed to let the subject drop. However, whenever you came back to your apartment after a night at Tony’s and ran into Wanda in the hall as she made her way to work, she was always unsuccessful in hiding the worry shinning in her eyes.

Wanda’s concern wasn’t the only thing you had to grow accustomed to, as much as you told yourself it wasn’t your place, you couldn’t help the nagging voice in your head that told you something wasn’t quite right with Tony. Whenever you two went out he was all smirks and one-liners, keeping up his Tony Stark reputation for being the smartest man in any room and laughing at every joke told to him but as you were starting to spend more time just the two of you, you were beginning to see that there was something he was hiding.

Regardless of how early you woke up, Tony wouldn’t be anywhere to be seen, you began to wonder if he slept at all and if the growing circles under his eyes were any answer, however long he did manage to sleep wasn’t enough.

Then there was the time you were watching the hurt locker after a lazy day spent doing not much together; the moment the first explosion sounded on screen his relaxed composure became completely rigid and you could hear his heart racing where you head was resting on his chest. That gave you all the indication you needed to realise that Tony had not yet recovered from the attack in Afghanistan but you didn’t want to push him on the matter, what worried you the most was he wasn’t talking to anyone about it – not Happy, or Pepper, or Rhodey, or a _therapist_.

It was when he flinched at the second explosion on the screen that you asked him to turn the movie off, telling him it wasn’t your kind of thing and you were kind of bored. If he knew what you were doing, he didn’t let on, instead quickly turning the tv screen off before leading you to his bedroom.

Unlike most of your exploits with Tony, this was less about passion and more about comfort, the way he clung to you as if you were the only thing grounding him and you couldn’t help but want to protect him from everything outside of his bedroom walls.

* * *

 

_You walked backwards into the bedroom, Tony’s arms wrapped tightly around you as he buried his face in your neck littering kisses there, working his way up to your lips before stealing your breath away in a desperate kiss. When the need for air became too much, Tony pulled away, resting his forehead against yours._

_You could see the slight furrow in his brows, the distressed look in his eyes as he pulled you even closer to him._

_“Please.”_

_That simple plea muttered against your lips was enough for you to completely surrender yourself to him, you’d do whatever you needed to in that moment to make sure Tony would be ok, even if that meant he only felt better for even a few temporary moments._

_He stripped you from your clothes, his joining the pile only seconds later before he pushed you back on the bed, crawling on top of you and wasting no time in thrusting into your wet heat, hips rolling against yours as he buried his face in your chest. Your back arched as he drove you closer and closer to your end, hitching your leg higher on his waist to open yourself more to him, clawing at his back as you moaned out your pleasure._

_His cock repeatedly hit that spot inside you that made you see stars and you came with a shout, pulling him over the edge with you as you clenched around his cock, his hips stuttered into yours a few final times before his cum painted your walls, feeling the vibrations of his groans against your breasts as he did._

_Neither of you moved as you came down from your highs, Tony staying firmly put on top of you and you soon realised that he didn’t want to move away from you, so instead of moving you began to trail your fingers up and down his back with a featherlight touch, noticing how tense the muscles were there even though he’d just orgasmed._

_You were curling his short strands of hair around your fingers when you heard his even breathing and noticed that he had drifted off to sleep, you joining him shortly after, the weight of Tony still laying on you an odd comfort._

_When you woke the next morning, Tony was in the kitchen pulling food out of the various bags he’d had delivered and as cheery as ever, acting like last night hadn’t happened at all and you knew that the rare moment of vulnerability was not something he wanted to dwell on or see repeated and so you went on like he did: as if it had never happened._

* * *

 

You shook the thought from your mind as you checked over the package that had just been delivered to you, courtesy of Tony of course. You two had to attended yet another banquet tonight but he had told you he had something special he had wanted you to wear and that it would be delivered today along with your copy of the contract you’d signed.

Filling the document away with all your other important files, you moved back to the pink box on your coffee table, the silky bow begging you to pull on it an unravel yet another gift Tony had bestowed to you.

Even with all the money Tony paid you monthly and the fact that all your outings together were paid by him, Tony still showered you with gifts; jewellery, clothes, spa-days, anything and everything you could possibly thing off. If you didn’t know any better, you would have thought Tony _liked_ spoiling you.

Pulling he lid off the box and throwing it aside, you saw a pair of black panties inside, a note placed on the top that was obviously from Tony.

_Wear these tonight – no cheating. T x_

No cheating? What the hell did that mean?

Your brows furrowed when you plucked the panties from the box, confused at how heavy they felt until you realised just what he was planning, feeling the bulge of the vibrator that was secured in the crotch. You checked the box for the remote and coming up short figured that he must have kept it with him.

You bit down on your bottom lip as you pondered over the possibilities that tonight could hold, heat burning your cheeks as you shook your head in disbelief. Of course he would plan something like this.

You took the panties into your room, throwing them on the bed for later as you went to shower. Tonight was most certainly going to be a long night.

 


	7. Chapter 7

You were ready and waiting by the time Tony arrived, trying to adjust to the feeling of the saddle shaped vibrator nestled between your folds, pressed right against your core, heart racing at the mere thought of Tony’s inevitable unyielding teasing tonight. You only prayed that you’d be able to keep your cool around the others. God help you if they caught on.

Tony waited for you in the car as he usually did, a mischievous smirk adorning his face as you sat next to him, jolting upright with a gasp as the toy suddenly began to vibrate against you. Your head snapped towards Tony, eyes wide as you felt the strong pulse of the toy in just the right position against your clit, biting back the moan that was threatening to spill from your lips. The smirk on his face grew at your reaction until it was practically maniacal, his hand pulling out of his pocket with the remote held securely between his fingers.

“Good girl, you aren’t cheating,” His voice was raspy as he murmured those words to you, eyes locked on your body as your hips started to try and roll against the toy, your cunt flooding with arousal as your throbbing clit pressed against the buzzing device, “Oh Princess, that’s only the lowest setting.”

Your mouth fell open at that, the lowest setting was already able to soak your panties with desire and you didn’t know if you were dreading or anticipating what the highest setting could possible evoke in you.

Happy pulled up outside the venue, the flashes of cameras visible through the tinted windows and you only hoped you didn’t look as unruly as you felt. Tony held out his arm to you as you exited the car, your knees nearly buckling as you attempted to walk, clinging to him as he led you to the charity dinner you were attending.

The others were already at the table, Natasha enthusiastically waving you over and pulling you into a hug as you sat down beside her. The boys were still rather startled whenever Nat showed any sign of affection to you but by now you knew to just ignore the stares: they’d get used to it one day.

“I’m so glad you’re here, I need to ask you something!” Nat asked, face lighting up with glee at whatever her news was.

“Sure Nat, wh-” you cut yourself of with a gasp as Tony started the vibrator again, hand gripping the arm of the chair until it nearly hurt. Noticing everyone bar Tony – who was sitting there with a shit eating grin – giving you concerned looks, you attempted to pull yourself together, your body coming down from the shock and adapting to the feeling.

“Are you ok Y/N?” Nat queried, her hand resting atop of yours as she worriedly searched your face for any signs of distress.

“Y-yeah, fine, I’m fine. Just -uh- cramps? It’s nothing to worry about, what did you want to ask me?”

You were grateful Nat seemed to buy your excuse, returning to her previous excitement as she asked you to help her finish planning her engagement party, going on and on about the different ideas and plans she had. You tried desperately to pay attention to Nat, trying to ignore the constant buzzing between your legs and praying no one could hear your little secret as it brought you closer and closer to the edge as you crossed and uncrossed your legs in an attempt to hold off your inevitable orgasm.

The toy suddenly ceased it’s incessant palpitating and you nearly whimpered in relief and disappointment, the cusp of climax in your reach and part of wanted so desperately to fall over the edge but the logical part of you reminded you that you were in a very public place.

Your respite didn’t last long however, for as soon as your release had ebbed far enough away, Tony would dial the vibrator back up, playing with the speeds and watching you squirm with the upmost enjoyment.

All throughout dinner, Tony’s teasing never ceased, bringing you to the edge countless times until you were a fidgeting mess in your seat, trying desperately to hold in your tears and bite back your moans each time you were on the verge of release. You weren’t sure how much more you could take, caught between wanting the torture to stop all together in fear that one of the others would catch on to the cause of your strange behaviour and _needing_ to finally cum, your panties soaked as cunt clenching around nothing in anticipation.

Tony, on the other hand, was the picture of relaxation, completely unfazed by the hitches in your breath and how every time you’d jolt you’d gain a new strange look from someone at the table. He sat back in his chair, swirling his bourbon around his glass, eyes locked on you over the rim as mischief danced there, a self-satisfied grin tugging at his lips and regardless of everything you couldn’t help but want to be devoured by the very man who was causing you such discomfort.

You were taking another small bite of the delicious meal in front of you, unable to fully enjoy the melody of flavours on your tongue as Tony restarted the vibrator, dialling it up to its highest setting and watching with fake concern as you sharply gasped, hand gripping your fork like your life depended on it causing Steve to shoot you a worried glance and Natasha to arch a brow in your direction.

“Are you ok Y/N? You don’t look so good.”

“Y-yeah Stevie, I’m-” you were cut off by a guttural moan that you tried unsuccessfully to stifle “It’s just cramps, nothing to worry about, they’ll pass.”

You could feel your face burning under their unwavering stares, hoping and praying that they believed you as panic began to set in; you were fast approaching your end and Tony wasn’t letting up with the toy.

“I don’t know, you’ve been acting like this all night,” Steve’s words were tuned out to you as you tried to subtly shift yourself to hinder your orgasm, “Tony maybe you should take her home.”

You sipped at the cold water in front of you, hoping it would provide some sort of relief against the raging fire that seemed to be lapping at every nerve in your body. That relief was short lived when you felt Tony change the settings on the vibrator; the toy no longer constantly buzzing but sending strong pulses through your core like tidal waves of pleasure right against your throbbing clit. The rapid change was enough to throw you over the edge, choking on your water as you came, jerking in your seat as your tried to grind down against the toy as you spluttered and coughed your way through your orgasm.

Your chest was heaving as you came down from your high, the toy finally switching off, and you hoped and prayed everyone would believe it was due to your impromptu coughing fit and nothing more, you watched through hazy eyes as Tony leaned over you, fighting back a wicked grin as he placed the back of his hand on your forehead.

“Hm, you feel a little feverish Angel; maybe we should take you to freshen up, might make you feel a little better,” Tony’s voice was laced with fake concern but you didn’t have the energy to do anything but nod sluggishly at him.

Tony helped you stand on shaky legs, propping you up on his arm as he whisked you away from the others and towards the bathrooms at the other end of the venue. However, not before you caught the cheeky leer on Natasha’s face and you knew that she _knew_.

You didn’t have time to dwell on the implications of Natasha knowing what had just gone down, Tony already leading you into one of the private bathrooms and locking the door behind you both, wasting no time in hoisting you up by your thighs and placing you on the worktop next to the sink, spreading your legs apart to press against your core so you could feel his hard length through his slacks.

His lips found yours in a frenzied kiss, hands burying themselves in your hair to tug your locks, manoeuvring your head to exactly where he wanted you and you followed without complaint, compliantly opening your mouth to Tony’s tongue as he completely dominated you.

“God, you have no idea what you were doing to me,” Tony panted out through ragged breaths as he littered your neck with sloppy kisses and nips, “Every fucking whimper you made went straight to my fucking cock, you were so _fucking noisy_ babygirl – did you want to get caught? Was that it? Wanted everyone in that fucking room to know that you had a vibrator pressed tight against that sweet cunt?”

Moaning at Tony’s filthy words, you hitched your leg higher around his waist, pulling him closer to you and rutting yourself against him with unadulterated want. You had no idea his words would have such effect on you but you could feel the desire for release returning tenfold, as if your previous orgasm had never even happened.

“Wait, wait; fuck, fuck, fuck,” Tony’s eyes were wild as he checked his pockets, panic and dread setting in as you watched on in confusion. “I don’t have a fucking condom.”

“S’fine, I’m on birth control,” You reassured him, but your words only caused his head to snap up, brows furrowed in bewilderment that you could only giggle at.

“Since when!?”

“Since you warned me you could spontaneous and Pepper sent me the results of your last STI check,” You stated matter-of-factly watching in amusement as his confusion melted away into awe.

“Remind me to give Pepper a raise.”

“Will do, now can we please do this?” Tony’s sly grin returned, hunger once again lighting up his eyes as his lips devoured yours.

Large hand’s traced down the exposed skin of your thighs, pushing your dress up with them until your pantie-clad core was revealed to his hungry eyes. Tony’s fingers dipped below the hem of your panties, quickly trailing between your folds and groaning at the feel of your wetness covering his digits.

“Tony p-please don’t-” You were cut off by a scream as Tony circled your clit, grinning into your neck as he tortured you with his fingers.

“Don’t what Angel?”

“Please don’t tease me,” You knew how desperate you sounded and you couldn’t find it in you to care about the taunting tone of Tony’s voice, willing to do anything for him to fuck you in that very moment against the bathroom wall.

Tony’s dark chuckle reached your ears before you felt your panties being torn down your legs, haphazardly thrown to the side and landing with a thud on the floor. The clanking sound of Tony’s belt being undone was as sweet as music and you could have cried with happiness as he tugged his trousers and boxers down just enough to free his rock-hard length to you.

You couldn’t contain the guttural moan at the sight of Tony’s cock, tilting your head to the side to allow him to press sloppy kisses from your jaw to your ear, gasping when he nipped at the lobe.

“Don’t worry Y/N, no more teasing,” Tony murmured huskily as he gripped his cock, guiding the head through your folds and coating himself in your slick. Before you could even register the feeling of his swollen head bumping against your throbbing nub, Tony had lined himself up with your entrance and snapped his hips forward, filling you with one fluid thrust that had you crying out his name like a prayer.

Tony swiftly set a brutal pace, hands gripping your waist with a bruising strength as his cock pumped in and out of your quivering pussy. Your nails clawed at Tony’s back that was still protected by his shirt and blazer, ankles locked at the small of his back as you clung to him for dear life, his hips bucking into yours with an animalistic intensity that made your head spin, the bulbous head of his cock hitting your g-spot with every drive of his hips into yours.

Your orgasm was building quickly, the coil in your core tightening and tightening, toes curling as the pressure of your release built within you; the small bathroom was filled with your harsh breaths, Tony’s muttered curses and the obscene sound of skin slapping against skin. The mirror behind you was covered by a thin layer of condensation and you could feel the small beads of sweat racing down your collarbone and disappearing between your breasts.

The abrupt rapture of your orgasm had your back arching off the cool glass, body writhing as whimpers and moans fell freely from your parted lips. The feeling of your cunt deliciously squeezing around Tony’s cock propelled him to his own end, a deep growl tearing from his throat as he emptied into you, hips languidly thrusting a few final times as you both came down from your highs.

Once you both were able to move again, you went about trying to make yourselves somewhat respectable, the fact that you two had just fucked like rabbits looking more than obvious in your dishevelled clothing and ruined hair. Tony bent down to pick your panties up from the floor but instead of handing them to you like you expected him to, he shoved them in his trouser pocket, shooting you a wink as he pressed a lazy kiss to your swollen lips.

After doing all you could to make yourself look semi-presentable, you and Tony made your way back to the others who were all talking amongst themselves until you approached the table. “Hey, there you guys are: what took you so long?”

You felt panic ran down your back like a cold shiver but Tony only pulled you closer to him, wrapping his arm protectively around you. “You were right Rogers, she isn’t doing too well. I rang Happy to come pick us up and you know how he gets when starts talking – we’re gonna head out, see you guys later.”

You said your goodbyes to everyone, giving Nat a hug and avoiding the tug at the corner of her lips that just screamed ‘ _I know what’s really happening_ ’, you turned to leave with Tony. You made it three steps before Bucky was calling Tony back.

“Hey Stark! You might not want to forget this,” Bucky plucked Tony’s phone from off the table. The same place it had been all night.

“Oh, Thanks Barn-” Tony’s sentence died on his lips as the penny finally dropped. They had known the whole time. Tony had left his phone behind.

_Busted._

You never thought you’d see a self-assured grin that could rival Tony’s but right now Bucky was coming a close second and you felt your stomach sink as horror filled your bones. Tony took the phone from Bucky’s outstretched hand, turning to you with wide eyes and shouting one more final goodbye over his shoulder as you both raced out of the hall and away from their boisterous laughter.  

Finally, you made it to the streets outside, the cool wind hitting you sharply, providing a much-needed relief against your burning cheeks. You both turned to each other with horror stricken expressions before you burst into a fit of giggles, tears forming in your eyes as Tony clutched at his stomach, laughter overtaking the both of you as the ridiculousness of the situation caught up with you both.

The sound of someone clearing their throat behind you pulled you both from your amusement, spotting Happy leaning against the car with an arched brow and knowing smile.

“Let me guess, Natasha called you?”

Opening the back door for you both Happy shook his head in response, “I don’t know what you’re talking about boss.”

The ride back to Tony’s was pleasantly silent, you stayed snuggled into his side as he played with a loose strand of your hair. Every movement the pair of you made was lethargic, the energy you had all but spent and yet you somehow found it in you to go another round in the shower. You never intended to it just progressed to such, which you were fast learning was common with Tony Stark; a shared shower turned into washing each other which turned into soft caresses which turned into gentle fucking under the spray of the water.

You both collapsed onto the bed, cuddling under the cool sheets as you drifted into a deep sleep, Tony’s arms wrapped firmly around your waist, your back pressed against his chest as he buried his face in your neck.

The sky was still black when you woke, the only light coming through the tall windows were from the twinkling lights from the insomniac city below you. You shifted away from Tony, watching through bleary eyes as he tried to pull you back to him in his sleep and let out a soft snort as you quietly padded towards the bathroom.

Coming back into Tony’s bedroom, you noticed the clock on the bedside table reading 3am and you groaned internally at how early it was, sliding back under the covers with all intentions of going back to sleep until it became a far more acceptable time to be awake.

Your plans, however, you disrupted as you felt Tony shift beside you, twisting on the bed as he clawed at the sheets beneath him, head thrashing about on the pillow as his face contorted in what you could only describe as agony. Your heart twisted in your chest as you watched helplessly as Tony muttered and begged with a sleep slurred voice, the pained cry that tore from his throat was what snapped you out of your trance, leaping into action as you tried to gently wake Tony and bring him out of whatever nightmare he was trapped in.

“Tony, Tony; wake up, come on Tony it’s just a nightmare, it’s not real,” You called out, soothingly running your fingers down his face as to not shock him, wanting the first thing he became aware of to be comforting not violent.

With a shuddering gasp, Tony lurched up in the bed, eyes wild as he tried to discern exactly where he was, puzzlement overtaking his features as he cast his eyes around his bedroom. You were still kneeling in front of him completely stunned by what you had just saw and not knowing what to say to comfort him.

“Tony? Are you ok?” You kept your voice small and placid as to not spook him further, knowing he had still not recovered from whatever had haunted his sleep.

At your question, Tony’s head snapped up, eyes widening even further as he saw you for the first time since he’d woken. He swallowed harshly as he sat there trembling, eyes casting about the room to try and avoid you’re questioning stare.

“M’fine, Y/N,” Tony gritted out from between clenched teeth, his entire composure the complete opposite to what he was claiming, “It was just a nightmare. You should go back to sleep.”

Not knowing what else you could do in that moment, you settled back against the pillows, watching as Tony sat there a few moments longer, taking deep gulps of air to try and calm his racing heart before he stood up and left the room, closing the door silently behind him.

Sleep didn’t come as easily as it did before, your mind a flurry of thoughts all surrounding Tony and what you had just witnessed. You wondered how long it had been going on for, you had guessed that he had been struggling to sleep, what with the dark circles under his eyes and the fact that he was never there when you woke but you didn’t know that he was plagued with nightmares like this. You were aware you were a heavy sleeper but being able to ignore this seemed a little excessive.

Then your mind cast back to the day you were watching the hurt locker together, the way he had paled at the sound of the explosions on screen and it began to come together. You had figured the movie incident had just been because it served as a reminder of what happened in Afghanistan but what if it was more; what if Tony had untreated PTSD?

As you fell into a restless sleep, one thing was certain in your mind, you weren’t going to let Tony continue to ignore this anymore.


	8. Chapter 8

When you woke again a few hours later, the sun was filtering through the curtains and flooding the room casting a warm glow about the place but it did nothing to brighten your mood. You couldn’t forget the sight of Tony’s face contorted in agony as he was trapped in his nightmare, body thrashing about the bed as he struggled to fight of the monsters plaguing his sleep. You knew you couldn’t just ignore what had happened, no matter how much Tony would try and push the issue aside and with a heavy sigh, you threw the covers off you and went in search of Tony.

You found him in the kitchen, serving up your breakfast from the various containers Pepper had dropped off today but even from the doorway you could see the tension in his shoulders and back; he knew you were there and he was going to try his hardest to deflect from the elephant in the room, much to your chagrin.

“Mornin’ Gorgeous, want some coffee?” Tony asked in a chipper tone and if you didn’t know any better you would have believed it. But as it was, given all the time you two had spent together, you had undoubtedly noticed many things about Tony Stark. Like the fact that his voice strains ever so slightly, like it had just done, whenever he must fake cheerfulness with clients and business associates at the galas you two would attend.

Never before had he used it with _you_.

“Tony.”

“Pepper pretty much got the usual, so I’ll serve you a bit of everything, that ok?” Tony kept his head cast down as he flat-out ignored you, pretending to busy himself with the food in front of him.

“Tony. _Please_ ,” You pleaded, watching as he froze, chest rising and falling heavily as his eyes avoided your concerned stare, “Please don’t ignore this, we need to talk about what happened last night.”

“I’m sorry, alright; I didn’t mean to scare you, it won’t happen again. I promise. Can we please just forget it?” Tony begged you, eyes frantic as he took in a shuddering breath, barely holding the tears at bay.

Confusion flooded you at Tony’s pleas; why did he think he’d scared you? Why was he even apologising?

Slowly approaching him as if he was a wounded animal you cautiously stretched your arm out to him, watching with bated breath as he stood shaking, tremors wracking his body until you finally touched him, hand gripping his forearm and running up the length of his arm soothingly. Reassured he wouldn’t shrug you off, you moved to wrap your other hand around his neck, both hands cradling his jaw and forcing him to look at you.

“Tony what are you apologising for? I’m not and I was never scared of you – I’m scared _for_ you. I’m not going anywhere, ok? I promise you that but you need to address this, you can’t just brush it aside, it isn’t healthy.”

Tony still remained silent, conflicted between listening to your advice or going with along with the same self-protection he’d used his whole life; avoiding the problem in the hope that it would somehow magically solve itself.

You watched the internal battle rage on in his mind, the struggle evident in his eyes and with a sigh you relented, moving closer to press your forehead against his, his arms quickly wrapping around your waist to keep you close to him. “You don’t have to tell me Tony but you’ve trusted me this far, why stop now? Just know that no matter what, I’m not going anywhere. And you could never scare me.”

Pressing a soft kiss to his chapped lips, you moved away from him to continue dishing out breakfast for the both of you, humming to the song playing on the radio as you watched from the corner of your eye: Tony moved across the kitchen to sit at the table, clearly mulling over what you had told him as he lost himself in his thoughts, so far removed from the present moment you wondered if he would ever return.

Placing his plate in front of him, you squeezed his hand that was resting on the table reassuringly and Tony offered you a lazy smile as way of thanks but you could see from the dazed expression still painted on his face that he was still working through your advice and so you both ate in comfortable silence, the only sounds in the room the radio still playing and the slight scratch of cutlery on plates.

When you had both finished, you picked up the empty and plates and took them over to the dishwasher, loading it up and turning it on as Tony still sat there staring into his cup of coffee as if it could provide him with the answers he wanted. Knowing this was a decision he had to make himself, you pressed a kiss to the crown of his head before going back to Tony’s room to shower and change. 

As the hot water soothed your muscles, your thoughts uncontrollably turned to Tony. How could they not? You weren’t even sure if you had stopped thinking about him since last night. This was all so different to what you had known before, far more damaged then you had ever known him to be, than he had ever let you see him be. You wondered just how tiring it was to pretend you were ok all the time when in reality you were one small stone’s throw away from crumbling under the pressure of everything.

Why Tony was having these nightmares was one problem but why he felt he had to hide such a thing was something else entirely and you knew that to help him would require him to be honest, if not with you, then someone. Preferably a trained professional who could help him in ways you simply couldn’t. But you also were aware of the fact that if Tony was going to share this with you, then it would have to be on _his_ terms when _he_ was ready. Forcing him to tell you anything would do no good, of that you were certain.

By the time you had finished in the shower and changed into fresh clothes for the day, Tony was back to being his usual self as if nothing had happened last night or this morning and although part of you was disappointed you kept hope that he would reach out to you at some point.

It was another week of nightmares before you finally got your wish.

There had been no other instances where Tony had violently woken himself again but you had taken to staying awake to watch him sleep, noting the slight twitch of his eyes under his lids, the rapid rise and fall of his chest, the sheen of sweat that clung to his skin and knowing that he was trapped in whatever horrors his mind was showing him. You wanted to prove to Tony that you genuinely wanted to help and so you lay awake, waiting until the terrors he saw in his sleep finally woke him and you could be there to wrap your arms around him and comfort him until his body ceased to shake.

Tonight was the same as the others, Tony’s face grimacing in distress as his hands fisted the sheets beneath him, you traced the furrow of his brow with one featherlight fingertip, trying to ease away the worries there without startling him.

Slowly rousing himself, you watched as Tony glanced around in confusion before realising where he was, turning to you with wild, tear-filled eyes as he sorted reality from his dreams. You wasted no time in pulling him to you, wrapping your arms around his quivering form, heart-breaking as you felt his hands clutch at you, the wet drops of tears staining your skin as he broke apart in your embrace.

“It came out of nowhere,” He murmured so quiet you weren’t sure you were even supposed to hear him. You simply remained silent, letting him tell you what he needed to in his own time, stroking his back in reassurance that you were listening; “It was just meant to be a simple weapons demonstration, everything was fine and then we were in the hummer and the firing started.”

Tony took in a sharp breath and your eyes widened in realisation that this was the day he was taken hostage in Afghanistan all those months ago. “There was a soldier in there with me, wanted a photo – God he must have been little more than a kid, had his whole life ahead of him until a fucking bullet took it away from him.”

He pulled away from you, laying on his back and staring up at the ceiling, digging the heels of his hands into his eyes as if it could purge him of the memory; “I don’t know why, instinct I guess, but I tried to run, tried to find Rhodey but before I could a missile was launched,” He paused to take in a shuddering breath and you leaned over to lock your fingers through his, “And it had my name on it, ‘Stark Enterprises’ in big bold letters. They had _my_ weapons, terrorists had my weapons and I still don’t know how they managed to fucking get them.”

“Anyway; the blast went off, buried shrapnel in my heart and I was patched up by a doctor, Yinsen, who was also being held hostage. I had to be kept alive by a car battery for four days until I could design something more portable with a box of scrap metal. They wanted me to make more weapons for them, they wanted to cause as much death and destruction as possible but me and Yinsen made a plan, we tricked them, used the weapons we designed for ourselves.”

“We were nearly out when we heard more soldiers coming and we knew we couldn’t fight them all off, so Yinsen sacrificed himself without a second thought and I managed to escape. Rhodes, he found me a little while after that somewhere in the desert and I was taken home. Eight hours of surgery and the battery that was powering me was finally able to be removed, shrapnel too, now all I’ve got is this scar and the nightmares to remind me that it was even there at all.”

You bit down on your lower lip to stop it from wobbling, tears stinging your eyes, threatening to fall at any moment as you fought to keep them at bay, remaining focused on Tony as he finally told someone what had been weighing his mind down for so long now. 

“All those people,” Tony choked on his words, letting out a solemn snort before continuing with a thick voice, “All those people died because of me, of what I created, because people were so willing to kill them just to cause more killing. That’s when I realised what my legacy was; it was never about technology or engineering, never about helping the U.S., hell it was never even about the soldiers who’s hands I put weapons in. It was about death and the price I charged to cause it, I don’t know who sold under the table to those terrorists, but they opened my eyes. It doesn’t matter whose hands they’re in, the fact that they’re out there is enough, it’s a never-ending cycle that I no longer wanted to be a part of.” 

“I can’t shake it, every time I try and sleep I’m back there seeing everyone die in front of me, knowing that it was because of me. Every time I hear a bang I flinch and panic just seizes me. I’m _broken_ Y/N, I can’t function anymore and now that I’m not producing weapons, now after all these years I’ve finally grown a conscience, I’m no good to anyone.”

Unable to take any more of his self-loathing, you moved to straddle Tony’s waist giving him no chance to escape and forcing him to look at you. “Tony, please, _please_ believe me – none of what happened is your fault. You didn’t sell those weapons to terrorists, you can’t hold yourself responsible for other people’s actions it only takes away their accountability. I’m worried about you Tony, all of this is starting to take its toll on you, it’s not healthy. And I’m not the only one that notices even if I’m the only one that knows why; people care about you Tony, you have friends, you have support you just need to trust them enough to be open with them. I’m by your side Tony, you know I am, but you need to see a therapist about this, there’s only so much I can do for you and you need more than what I can give.”

“A therapist? I can’t-”

“Can’t _what_? Tony you’ve been through a traumatic experience and it’s clearly effecting you more than you care to admit. If you broke your leg you wouldn’t keep walking on it without seeing a doctor so why the hell would your mental health be any different?” You were losing your temper, voice rising with every word you spoke, annoyance growing at Tony’s refusal to see that this was actually a serious matter that would require professional help, hoping beyond hope that some tough love would finally help you get through to him.

Just as he opened his mouth to give you some other bullshit excuse, the emotional weight of the past week caught up to you, failing to stifle your sobs, tears staining your cheeks as you took in a shuddering breath. “ _Please Tony_ ,” you choked out, the thought of his torment going untreated causing your stomach to twist into knots.

The sight of your obvious distress caused Tony to pause, brows furrowing together as he observed just how deep your concern for him ran, hating the fact that you were crying because of him. Swallowing thickly, Tony slowly nodded as he pulled you down to him, your head resting on his chest as his arms wrapped tightly around you, one hand running through your hair as the other traced patterns on your hip. “Ok, ok I’ll call someone tomorrow morning. I promise. Just, go back to sleep ok? We’ll deal with it tomorrow I swear but we both need sleep first.”

Sighing, you nodded your consent as you burrowed your face further into Tony’s chest, body draped over his as your fingers clutched at the vest he was wearing, afraid that when you closed your eyes he’d slip away from you and try to pretend that none of this had happened like he had done before.

The friendship you had developed with Tony over the past few months together was hard to define; you weren’t dating, everything that you two did in public was a pretence, an elaborate show in order to fool the world into thinking that Tony Stark could handle a long-term relationship - contrary to popular belief - but that didn’t mean there was _nothing_ between you.

In the months you spent together, you had starting to get to know Tony on a much more personal level then many others got to see; maybe it was due to the amount of time you spent together or maybe it was because Tony simply couldn’t keep the charade up all the time and considering he had pretty much bought your silence it was presumably safe to lower the mask he constantly wore. Maybe he didn’t even realise but you saw him, the real him, the one that few other people ever had the honour of witnessing. The one that doubled down on his work when he was stressed, the one that made sure Pepper and Happy always had enough time and funds to plan their wedding stress-free, the one that was constantly checking up on Rhodey and his upcoming baby, the one that would do pretty much anything for his friends but regardless of his label of an egotistical narcissist would never let them know it was his doing.

What you couldn’t figure out was why he felt the need to hide so much of himself from people, why he had such difficulty being open with his friends, the people that loved him. Part of you worried that you concern for Tony was bordering on a line you knew you shouldn’t cross in fear that certain unwanted feelings may begin to grow for the man beside you but that small fear was drowned out by the need to help Tony, he had done so much for you and you had sworn to him to help and you were a woman of your word if nothing else.

When you woke the next morning, your heart dropped at the absence of Tony, wearily pulling yourself from under the covers in order to find him. Like always, Tony was in the kitchen sipping on his coffee as he arranged the breakfast that Pepper had brought you both onto two plates. You hesitantly walked further into the room, fearful of Tony brushing off the promise he made you last night, the thundering of your heart echoing in your ears.

“Mornin’ Gorgeous,” Tony hummed, placing your plate and a cup of coffee on the table before sitting down with his own as a sense of déjà vu threatened to consume you whole. You mindlessly followed him, trying to stop your lower lip from trembling as you sat opposite him, brows creased together as you watched him eat as if last night had never happened.

You couldn’t even lift our fork to your mouth, the idea of eating even a bite making you feel nauseous – there was a shard a of dread buried deep in you last night that feared this would happen, but you didn’t expect it to feel like such a _betrayal_. Tony had promised you that he would call someone, did that really mean so little to him? Did you mean so little to him?

Tony paused his eating, watching as you gazed off into space, gnawing on your bottom lip the unease you felt so evident in your eyes. He knew what you were thinking right now, and he couldn’t blame you either but after seeing how open you were with him last night he knew you deserved the truth.

“I called a therapist this morning, Dr. Foster, she’s got quite the professional reputation. I have an appointment for tomorrow,” Tony spoke with a hushed voice, not raising his eyes from his meal as he sat rigid across from you.

You almost missed his confession, his soft voice nearly drowned out him the humming in your ears. When you finally registered what he had said, your head snapped up, eyes wide in incredulity before relief flooded you, a dopey smile on your face as you reached across the table and took his free hand in yours, giving him a reassuring squeeze as your thumb traced circles on the back, his eyes flittering from his food to the motion.

“Thank you, Tony.”

You dropped the whole issue after that and had your breakfast together as you normally would, talking about your plans for the day and about when you would next be needed to make a public appearance, except this time you didn’t once let go of Tony’s hand.

Although he didn’t say it Tony was grateful for you letting the matter go wanting nothing more than to regain his sense of normality, but he knew deep down that you were right, something needed to be done about the panic attacks and night terrors that were getting all the more frequent, he didn’t know how much more longer he could last with how little sleep he was getting.

It was going to be a long road of recovery; therapy would help but Tony still had a lot of emotional issues he needed to sort through and you were aware of how hard that was going to be for him. But you’d be by his side every step of the way. You were, after all, a woman of your word.


	9. Chapter 9

Blowing on the cup of coffee Nat had handed you, you brought the steaming liquid to your lips, humming at the taste that flooded your mouth and looked over the numerous samples Nat had spread out over her desk.

Your eyes wandered over the various silks, velvets, leathers, and lace that all sat piled up in various shades as Nat tried to perfect her latest designs for her next line, pencil scribbling on the multitude of sheets she had in front of her. Plucking up a patch of baby blue silk, you let your thumb stroke over the unbelievably soft material in your hand.

“Wow, that’s soft,” You muttered placing your cup and the fabric down as you moved to examine one of the designs Nat had sketched out, “So how does this work? You draw them, pick the right fabrics and then what?”

“Sort off, I have to figure out what how to creature the perfect shape with the fabric and the design. See the overall design won’t change regardless of what fabric we use but how we structure the cup is what provides the support, so it’s about getting that right before we go to production. It may take a few failed prototypes, but I’ll get it in the end.”

Nat placed a patch of cream lace over the baby blue silk you had been admiring before clipping them both to the paper she was writing on and heading over to the sewing machine in the corner of her office, pinning her design to the board on the wall before tracing out the desired shapes on the bolt of silk she had, quickly eyeing you as she made her templates.

You watched in fascination as her design came to life before your eyes, Natasha expertly sewing the pieces together with skilful precision until the feeble scraps of silk became boutique lingerie.

“How’s the wedding planning going?”

“Ugh don’t ask, Sam’s insisting we have a fucking _falcon_ fly down the aisle to deliver our wedding rings. It doesn’t exactly tie in with our plan for a low-key wedding,” Natasha groaned, banging on the sewing machine when the lace details she was attaching to the cup stuck around the needle, muttering angry curses in Russian under her breath. “It’s Sam, he has this thing for falcons - I swear he’s obsessed. He says he’s already found the perfect one, ‘redwing’. Not gonna happen.”

You couldn’t help but snort at her, “I hate to break it to you Nat but a wedding in the Hamptons isn’t exactly _low-key_.”

And it was true, you had seen all of her plans up to now and they were anything but simple, the dress being hand-designed in London by one of the most exclusive designers you had ever heard of, the venue was stunning, and the grand total was more than you had ever seen anyone spend on a wedding before in your life.

If this was Nat’s idea of subtle, you would love to see what her being extravagant looked like.

“Yeah, well I’m still not having a damn bird fly down the aisle,” Nat muttered as she threaded the wire through the bottom of the bra, “Besides, I’m taking a break from planning the wedding.”

You quirked a brow at that, Natasha Romanoff wasn’t one to take breaks.

“Oh really, and why would that be? Don’t tell me the infamous Natasha Romanoff is tired of a little wedding planning?” You couldn’t help but tease, a playful smirk on your face as the redhead stuck her tongue out at you.

“ _Ha-ha_ , very funny. But no, more like I have to start planning my birthday party if I want to beat your sugar daddy – he’s won every fucking year and I refuse to lose this time.”

Leave it to Tony Stark and Natasha Romanoff to turn something as simple as a birthday party into a competition.

“Ok, _what_? How is that a competition?” You asked incredulously, reclining back in your chair as you pondered over their strange rivalry.

Nat only shrugged as she moved onto a matching pair of panties; “We just see who can throw the greatest, most talked about birthday party each year. It started when we first met I guess, our birthdays are only a month apart so when he found out what I was doing, he just had to out-do me. Ever since then, it’s been like an on-going competition to throw the better party.”

“Huh,” You bit your lips as you contemplated your next words, debating whether or not you should go down that particular road, “So, how long have you known Tony?”

You heard the sewing machine stop, refusing to look up from the other designs you were flicking through for fear that Nat see through your casual façade. That, however, did not stop Nat from scrutinising you, knowing that the forced nonchalance held a far deeper meaning than you were letting on.

“Five, six years maybe? _Why_?”

“I just, I wanted to know something I guess, I figured I could maybe ask you?”

“Ok…” Nat trailed off unsure, invitation for you to ask what was on your mind.

“Has Tony always been, I mean was he ever not – why is he so closed off? Did something happen?” You sighed out, struggling to find the right question as your brain stumbled over all the words you knew.

Nat silently put down her work, rising from her seat and moving to the chair across from yours, taking your fidgeting hands in her own and squeezing them reassuringly as you worried at your bottom lip.

“What’s going on Y/N? Has Tony done something to you because I swear to god I will-”

“No! No, it’s not like that. It’s just, he struggles being open with his emotions and it’s beginning to take a toll on him. I’m worried about him Nat, but I can’t understand why he want to just ignore it. I figured maybe something had happened which caused him to be so closed off, maybe if I knew what it was I could help him? I don’t know, I guess it was a bit of a long shot huh?”

“No, that makes sense. But I don’t know what to tell you Y/N, he’s kept emotional distance with everyone as long as I’ve known him. It’s one of the things we have in common actually. I do know that he had a strained relationship with his father – maybe that has something to do with it?”

His father? Tony had never spoke of the man, not in detail anyway. In fact, you didn’t know anything about Tony’s parents that wasn’t already public information; everyone knew when and how they died, it had covered newspapers for weeks and was ingrained into the Stark legacy, but you didn’t know any personal stories of his parents, you didn’t know what birthdays or Christmases were like, you didn’t know what special family traditions there were. You knew absolutely nothing of Tony’s childhood.

“I don’t know Nat, I just hope the therapy helps with whatever he’s going through.”

Nat’s eyes widened at that news. “Tony’s going to therapy?” she asked in complete disbelief.

“Yeah, he’s there right now; he was having really bad nightmares, he couldn’t sleep, he was having panic attacks – I think it’s because of what happened in Afghanistan, he told me about it and I can completely understand how traumatic that would be, but I can’t get my head around why he acted like showing any sort of emotion was a _weakness_.” Tears started to form in your eyes as you recalled how distraught Tony was after a nightmare, how his voice had broken when he finally opened up to you.

“You can’t tell anyone Tony’s in therapy Nat, it’ll just cause him to be more closed off, please don’t-”

“Hey! Hey!” Nat cut through you hysterics, wrapping her arms around your shoulders and bringing your head to rest on her chest, “I’m not going to tell anyone I swear, not even Sam. But don’t think you can’t tell me anything ok – you bottling everything up isn’t good, if you ever need someone to talk to, I’m here ok?”

Nat pressed a kiss to your forehead as you wiped away your tears, pulling away from her embrace to offer her a watery smile.

“Thanks Nat.”

“Don’t mention it,” she said as she tucked a lose strand of hair behind your ear. “You’re good for him you know,” she muttered out, eyes appraising you as a small smile played on her lips, “Come on, your gonna be my model.”

You could only furrow your brows in confusion as she pulled you from your seat and lead you over to the area of her office that was cordoned off by an intricately designed divider, pushing you into the corner and handing you the bra and panties she had just made.

Reluctantly, you began to strip out of your clothes and into the brand-new lingerie sat that Nat had made, the soft baby-blue silk cupping your breasts perfectly, the cream lace decorating the trim and centre piece, the matching thong consisting of the same silk, the lace lining the waistband in perfect symmetry to the bra – they were honestly stunning, the colours and design giving you a sinfully sweet look that you knew would make a certain billionaire’s head spin.

“Well? Let me see my work woman!”

You hesitantly waked out, clutching your arms in front of yourself to try and block Nat’s view of your barely clothed form. Awkwardly standing before her as she stood from her seat and slowly circled you, assessing her work as she did.

“Sweetie, you kind of have to move your hands,” Nat hummed out amused, pulling your arms apart and leading you over to the full-length mirror so you could properly appreciate what you were wearing.

“It’s beautiful Nat, you did amazing,” You said in awe, looking over the design, no longer caring in the slightest about your lack of clothing.

“I couldn’t agree more, how does it fit?”

“Perfect. Which is slightly strange considering you never actually took my measurements.”

“I can tell just by looking, years of practise I guess,” Nat answered, trailing her hands around the bra, testing to see how well it fit against your chest.

Your breath hitched as Nat continued to trace her hands over her work as she moved to stand behind you, her deep chuckle making you shiver, “Aw, Am I making you nervous Y/N?”

Before you could answer the door to her office swung open, your head snapping towards the familiar form walking into the room. “Hey Nat, your secretary said that… Y/N was… here? Am I missing something?” Tony stood completely befuddled in the middle of the room, eyes darting between you and Nat as you watched the gears in his head turn, trying to explain the view in front of him.

You stood still in shock, mouth opening and closing like a fish as Nat squeezed your waist and walked in front of you, “Your girl was just doing some modelling for me Tony, don’t worry your pretty little head about it. You can get dressed now Y/N, and keep them, they suite you.”

You scurried back to the screen to throw your clothes on, hearing Tony mutter under his breath as you changed: “First Barnes and now you Romanoff. Christ is everyone out to try and seduce her?”

“Oh, relax Stark, nothing happened. Although you can’t blame anyone for trying, have you _seen_ her?”

You dashed back outside, sensing that Tony was about to overshare and not for the first time so you stopped the words from leaving his mouth by attaching your lips to his, wrapping your arms around his neck as you practically launched yourself at him.

Pulling away, Tony had a dazed look on his face before his brows furrowed in confusion, “I forgot what I was going to say.”

“ _Good_.”

Tony gave you a lazy smirk, his hands that were resting on your waist moving down to pinch your ass as he peppered kisses across your face and down your neck.

“Ugh, get a room,” Nat mumbled teasingly.

“You know Romanoff,” Tony’s gaze didn’t leave yours as he spoke to Nat, a cheeky sparkle in his eyes, “That’s not a bad idea.”

Without giving you a chance to respond Tony began to pull you towards the door, you stumbling after him as you bid goodbye to Nat over your shoulder.

“Goodbye Y/N,” Nat sang out, a smug smirk pulling at her lips as she waved goodbye to you.

Tony pushed you against the elevator wall the moment the doors closed behind you both, his lips automatically assaulting your neck as your head lolled back to give him more room as he nipped and kissed at the exposed skin there.

“Please tell me you’re still wearing that set?” Tony groaned out, voice husky with desire.

You hummed in answer, nodding your head as you bit down on your bottom lip, grinning when Tony let out a guttural moan. “You’re fucking killing me babygirl,” He choked out, burying his face in your neck as he held you flush against him.

Rolling your hips against the growing bulge in his trousers, you bit gently on Tony’s earlobe before whispering sultrily, “ _You love it_ _Daddy_.”


	10. Chapter 10

You and Tony crashed through his front door, lips locked in a passionate kiss as you tore the clothes from each other’s bodies, leaving a trail behind you as you made your way to the bedroom. How you made it back to Tony’s penthouse was a mystery to you, the pair of you were nearly buzzing with arousal by the time you exited the elevator, the car ride near torture as Tony’s hand wandered up your thigh and stroked your pussy through your panties, smirking at you as you bit down on your lip to stop yourself from moaning.

By the time you made it to the stairs, you were in nothing but your brand-new underwear courtesy of Nat, Tony’s impatience getting the best of him as he hoisted you up, wrapping your thighs around his waist as he flew up the stairs and into his room, smiling into your neck at the squeal you let out at the abrupt action.

Throwing you down on the mattress, Tony stood at the end of the bed, dark eyes roaming over your exposed body, lingering on the rapid rise and fall of your chest before trailing down to your legs, tongue darting out to wet his bottom lip as you slowly let your legs part, his hands flying down to his belt - his shirt already discarded somewhere downstairs - the clinking sound sending a shiver down your spine.

Pushing his trousers down his legs, Tony quickly stepped out of them, crawling over you and caging your head between his arms as he held himself above you. Tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear before slowly lowering his lips to yours in a gentle kiss, moaning as your hands threaded through his hair, lightly tugging at the strands and grinning into the kiss when his hips rolled into yours in response.

Pinning your hands above your head, Tony’s lips attached themselves to your neck, nipping at the skin when you tilted your head back and peppered kisses down the column of your throat and to the top of your breasts that were still encased in lace and silk. Letting out a strangled groan, Tony buried his face in the valley of your breasts, releasing your wrists to cup the globes of flesh in his hands, hardened nipples peaking through the silky cups.

“God you’re so  _fuckin’_  gorgeous, drive me insane,” Tony moaned against your skin, hardened length grinding against your core as he littered your chest with lavish kisses.

Tony’s hands reverently traced over the contours of your body, calloused skin a striking contrast against the soft curves of your body. Taking advantage of your arched back, Tony quickly unclasped your bra, pulling the garment from your body, muttered curses falling from his lips as his eyes landed on your bare chest.

Unable to take anymore, your hand gripped Tony’s cock through his boxers, relishing in the hiss it drew from him and smirking at the reaction it drew from him. “Tony, please,” You whined, breath hitching when you felt his fingertips trailing along your pantie-covered core, your wetness darkening the baby blue silk.

“Patience babygirl.”

You were about to tell him where he could shove his patience when you felt his fingers hook under the hem of your panties, dragging the material down yours legs and throwing them to the side before he tugged his own boxers off, leaving you both bare and wanting.

Seizing your leg with a bruising force, Tony hitched your thigh over his waist, his cock gliding through your glistening lips about with every roll if his hips, the swollen head nudging against your sensitive clit with every movement as he coated himself in your arousal.

A smug smirk pulled at Tony’s lips as he watched as your eyes rolled into the back of your head, breathy cries falling from your lips as your nails dug into his shoulders, the touch you had been so desperate for a welcome relief which only served to make you hungrier for the man above you. You tried in vain to get Tony to fuck you, writhing beneath him as your hips rose from the bed in an attempt to entice his cock into you.

Chuckling darkly at your pitiful effort to get him to fuck you, Tony gripped the base of his cock, slowly easing his head into your awaiting heat, a sharp gasp escaping through clenched teeth as your silky walls wrapped around him, his lips once again attacking your neck as you threw your head back against the pillow, mouth falling open in a silent scream as Tony pushed into you, his hips finally coming to a stop as they were pressed against yours.

Burrowing his head in the crook of your neck, a litany of curses fell from his lips as you both adjusted to the feeling, the strain in his voice causing your cunt to clench around him, Tony’s cock throbbing in response. Taking your wrists, he pinned your hands above your head, lifting himself up as he tentatively thrust into you, grinning at the sob that tore from your throat at the action.

“Tony –  _Daddy_  please, please!” You begged wantonly, not caring in the slightest how desperate you sounded.

“Don’t worry pretty baby,” Tony gritted out, hips rhythmically rolling into yours, his eyes glazing over with lust as he watched your face contort with pleasure, “ _Daddy’s got you_.”

The room was filled with the wet sounds of your bodies smacking against each other, your moans mixing with the low growls rumbling from Tony’s chest, your back arching of the bed and your toes curling as the tip of Tony’s cock repeatedly rubbed against your g-spot.

Biting down on his lower lip, Tony hitched your thigh higher on his hip as he thrust harder into you, “You know babygirl, you’d look so fucking good all tied up. Completely vulnerable, unable to move, completely at my fucking mercy.”

You shuddered at the idea, Tony’s words sending a shot of arousal through your body as you bucked your hips up into his. “Oh, you like that idea huh? Such a dirty fucking girl. God, I’d fucking ruin you, you wouldn’t walk for days.”

Whimpering you fought against Tony’s grip on your wrists, needing to hold onto something as you neared your end, “God, so close. So fucking close, Tony  _please_.”

Releasing your hands, Tony held your body tight against his as his hips lost their rhythm, letting out a guttural groan as your raked your nails down his back, your climax hitting you hard as your body convulsed beneath him, your cunt quivering around Tony’s sensitive cock with your release before his hips snapped into yours one final time, body tensing as his cum painted your walls, a guttural groan falling from his lips before he collapsed at your side.

You both lay panting, thoroughly worn out from your previous activities as you cuddled into his side, Tony’s arm wrapping firmly around your shoulders as he pressed a kiss to your sweat-slicked forehead.

When your racing heart had somewhat returned to its regular pace, you turned onto your stomach, crossing your arms on Tony’s chest and resting your head there, watching the man with an arched brow as he propped his head up on his bent arm.

Noticing your expectant expression, Tony shot you a quizzical look as he tried to figure out what you were trying to get at, “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

Tony’s confusion only grew as he watched your curious gaze melt away to a sinister smirk, “So you wanna tie me up, huh?”

Shaking his head, Tony let out a boisterous laugh as he matched your grin. “You have no idea what I want to do to you Gorgeous.”

“Likewise, Daddy.”

 Letting out a tortured groan, Tony lightly trailed his finger down your cheek and hooked it under your chin, lifting your face to his, “What am I going to do with you?”

“Whatever you want Mr. Stark,” You whispered against his lips before pressing your lips against his, his hand cradling your neck as you tenderly explored each other’s mouths, the easy caresses a complete contrast to what had transpired only moments before making your head spin.

Slowly pulling away, Tony kept you close to him as his eyes fluttered open, an easy smile on his lips that you couldn’t help but mirror. “Do you want to talk about today? You don’t have to but I’m here if you need me, you know that right?”

Tony’s smile grew at your words and he moved to grip your hand, pressing a kiss to the palm before he entwined your fingers together, resting them on his chest over his heart. “I know darlin’ but I don’t think I’m up to that right now – tell me about your day, did you have fun with Nat?”

You understood perfectly that Tony didn’t want to share what happened yet, he would when he was ready, you couldn’t expect everything to change after one session it would take time.  Knowing he wanted to change the subject you told him all about your day with Natasha, the lunch you had together, the new designs she was working on, the plans you had made to go shopping later in the week, and her upcoming birthday party. 

Whilst you spoke Tony’s hand had not once strayed from where it was stroking up and down on your exposed back, rolling his eyes when you told him how much planning Nat was putting into her birthday. You two spoke about the trivialities of your day until your eyelids began to droop, sleep pulling you under as you passed out curled up against Tony.

You woke a few hours later after your nap hungry and cold as your reached out to Tony, finding his side of the bed empty as you opened your bleary eyes. Knowing that he sought refuge in his lab when sleep refused to seize him, you moved to the bathroom to fresh-up, throwing on Tony’s discarded dress shirt before you plodded down the stairs.

Stopping at the Kitchen, you checked the fridge for any food, rolling your eyes when you saw its bare contents. Pulling your phone out of the breast pocket of Tony’s shirt, calling your favourite takeout restaurant and promising them a sizeable tip if they got here fast.

Fifteen minutes later you were walking down to the lower level of Tony’s penthouse to his labs, the bag of chinese food in one hand and a couple of beers in the other. The lab was simple, multiple tables dotted around the space with various contraptions that you couldn’t even begin to explain littered about the place, you thought it looked more like a high-tech mechanics than it did a lab, but you supposed that was simply the nature of engineering.

You saw Tony hunched over one of the tables at the back, blindly reaching for one of the numerous screwdrivers sprawled out across the bench, reaching the one he needed as he fiddled with whatever was in front of him. As you approached closer to him, you could hear the faint humming that sounded remarkably like ‘shoot to thrill’ intermingled with a grunt or two whenever his project failed to cooperate.

Tony still hadn’t noticed you had entered the room and remained oblivious to your presence as you stood next to him, jumping with shock when you dropped the bag of food on the bench next to him, staring up at you with wide eyes in confusion.

“Wh-what? What are you doing down here, I thought you were asleep?”

“I was,” You shrugged, plucking cartons of food out of the bag and placing them on the table beside the two bottles of beers, “I had a nap and now I’m hungry, figured you would be too. I took a guess at what you would want, I hope you like it.”

Tony was speechless, mouth agape as he silently accepted the box from you, brows furrowing as he felt his stomach rumble at the prospect of food. Apparently, he was very hungry. You didn’t say another word as you sat down and began eating your own meal, unaware of how  _stunned_  Tony was by your actions.

“So, what are you working on?” You asked after a swig of beer, tipping the bottle to the project Tony was previously fiddling with.

“Oh, uh, it’s a prototype for a new reactor. See this disk,” Tony pointed to a small metal disc at the very centre of his work to which you nodded at, “This should give off enough to electricity to power the circuit, if it works it should be able to continuously power the circuit without failure. It’s supposed to be a new clean source of energy - if I can ever get it to actually work.”

You were silent for a moment which Tony took as uninterest before you erupted with excitement, “Holy shit, that’s incredible! Could you use it to power anything bigger like buildings or cities? Oh my god, could you power New York City with it?”

“I mean, hopefully. One day, it would have to be a bigger model obviously but right now I’m just trying to get this one to work.” Tony regarded you with a small smile, noting the way your eyes lit up at his explanation and the genuine interest you had, “You really are fascinated with this aren’t you?”

“Of course I am, this is incredible Tony!”

“Well the board doesn’t think so, they think it’s a waste of time given that once it’s in place there’s no real profit to be made,” Tony sighed out dejectedly, leaning back in his chair as he took a drink of his beer.

You sound of your scoff caused him to arch a brow in your direction, an amused expression crossing his face at the sight of your scrunched-up nose and curled lip, not because he found the expression adorable of course. “ _The board_. What do the board know outside of projective numbers on a sheet? This is amazing Tony - you’re amazing.”

Leaning forward in your chair, you caught Tony off-guard when you pressed your lips against his in an affectionate kiss, slowly pulling your lips away with a grin when you saw his dazed expression. You went back to your dinner as if nothing had happened, more than content to spend the rest of your evening in Tony’s lab as he tinkered with his project.

You furrowed your brows in confusion when stood up from his chair, picking up his beer and the carton of noodles and nodding his head towards the door, “Come on, let’s go eat this upstairs and we can watch a movie or something.”

“But what about-”

“It can wait, don’t worry about it.”

Twenty minutes later you were both sprawled across the coach, Tony resting against the arm with you nestled between his legs, his arm wrapped your shoulders as you tucked your head under his, both of your gazes on the plasma screen before you, empty cartons dumped on the table as you simply relaxed.

Not taking his eyes of the screen, Tony pressed a chaste kiss to your forehead, murmuring against your temple, “Thank you.”

Smiling, you turned slightly in his arms, pecking your lips against his neck in response before snuggling further into Tony’s hold, his arms tightening in response as you both returned your attention to the movie playing. 


	11. Chapter 11

Staying up with Tony in his lab become routine for you after that night, whether it be going down with him knowing he couldn’t sleep or waking up to an empty bed and seeking him out, Tony’s lab soon became a familiar place to you. Sometimes Tony would work and talk to you as he did and others you simply went down there to sleep, curling up with a blanket on an empty workbench wanting him to know that he wasn’t alone, and you were happy to see that little by little Tony was indeed joining you to sleep more and more.

He still didn’t sleep enough but it was a start and one you would happily take.

Nat’s birthday was fast approaching, and you had helped everywhere you could with the planning, the moulin rouge themed party bigger than anything you had ever seen before in your life. Nat sure as hell had gone the full mile for this and nearly everything was ready, the both of you were shopping for your outfits today but there was one thing you had yet to do: get her a birthday present.

I mean, what do you buy for someone who has _everything_?

You had racked your brain for days and the closer her birthday got the more you began to panic. You were meeting up with Nat later and you wanted to have some sort of idea before you did so you could drop some subtle hints and test for a reaction before you actually bought anything.

The paper with ‘Nat’s present ideas’ scribbled at the top was void of any other writing – the same as it had been for the past 5 days – and with a huff you jumped from the couch, dropping the pen you were twiddling in your hands as you went off in search of Tony.

Tony was sitting in his office, eyes mulling over the papers in front of him when you sat yourself on his lap, arms wrapping around his neck as you nuzzled into his neck. Although his eyes never left the papers on the desk, a ghost of a smile played at his lips at the feeling of you pressed tightly against him.

“Aren’t you supposed to be meeting Nat soon?” Tony murmured, pressing a kiss against your forehead as his hand gripped your waist keeping you close to him.

“I am but I have a problem.”

Tony’s eyes snapped up to yours, worry filling them instantly at your words as his gaze washed over you, searching for any signs of injury or distress. Unable to find any, Tony quirked a brow at you, leaning back in his chair as he gave you his full attention, “What’s wrong?”

“I have zero ideas on what to get Nat for her birthday and I don’t have long left! What if I can’t find anything in time and then I’m the only one that hasn’t got her anything and then I’ve hurt her-”

“Wait, wait; _that’s_ what’s bothering you?” Tony asked you incredulously, staring at you with a slack jaw before he started to chuckle at your expense, “Y/N, baby, you don’t have to worry about that. Presents aren’t really a thing in this world, presents are pre-bought and delivered to parties by the host. It’s a little redundant to ask people to get you stuff when you already know exactly what you want and can afford it easily, this way there’s no disappointment or drama of ‘oh they never bought me anything’, you know?”

“Wait so no one gets anyone any presents? Ever? That seems really… cold. I mean, for me, presents were never about how much money someone spent or if it was something I really wanted, the best presents were those personal things that only _that_ person could have thought to have got you. You know, the inside jokes and the special memories that only you have together.”

Tony watched you with a fond expression as your teeth worried at your bottom lip, troubled that gift giving simply wasn’t a custom here, one side of his mouth curling in an adoring smirk. “You’re something else, you know that?” He murmured, tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear, finger grazing your cheek before he gently pulled you into a sweet kiss, “Don’t worry about Nat beautiful, she’s just happy to have you as a friend, trust me there’s not much out there that she doesn’t already own anyway.”

The sound of your ringtone cut through the room, Tony pressing one final lingering kiss to your lips before he let you go, watching as you pulled the phone from your pocket and saw the photo of you and Nat lighting up the screen. You smiled at the picture before you swiped to answer it, leaving Tony’s office as you headed to fetch your jacket, the phone pressed to your ear as you listened to Nat eagerly tell you how excited she was.

“Anyway, I’m sitting outside waiting for you to make an appearance so hurry the fuck up!” Nat cut the phone off without so much as letting you say ‘bye’ and you could only chuckle at her impatience. 

You stared at the photo of the two of you once more before it faded from the screen, the cogs in your brain starting to slowly turn as an idea began to form for her present. Clicking on your photos you scrolled through the many pictures you had stored there of you, Nat, and the rest of the gang – the silly selfies and off-guard shots brought a smile to your face and you remember the look Nat had when she saw your first photo together, the naturalness of it was something she was unfamiliar with, telling you that the only real photos she had where from professional photographers or paparazzi and she had practically begged you to send it to her.

That’s when it hit you like a tonne of bricks, the perfect present for Nat; a photo album filled with personal photos of her and Sam and her friends. Grinning to yourself, you pocketed the phone and dashed out the front door to meet with Nat, practically flinging yourself into her car as she laughed at your enthusiasm.

“Wow Y/N, keep this up and people might thing you actually missed me,” Nat teased as the car pulled off towards the designer stores Nat had requested you go to.

Given that Nat was throwing a Moulin Rouge themed party, it was no surprise she was requesting that people dress appropriately and when Natasha Romanoff _requested_ something only a fool would say no. Nat had asked you to come shopping with her for her outfit, wanting your opinion before she purchased something and giving you the opportunity to get yours as well.

Entering the store, you were blown away by the various outfits on display; beautiful corsets embedded with diamonds on mannequins in the window whilst luxurious feather fans and headdresses lined the shelves. One thing you did notice however, was that the store was near empty, the only other people in it bar you and Nat seemed to work there but before you could question it, one of the women were approaching you with a wide grin.

“Miss Romanoff! We’re so glad to see you; per your request this is completely private so feel free to browse at your leisure and myself and Mary-Anne are here to help you with anything you need,” The woman - who’s name tag read Julianne - informed you, holding her arms out wide to gesture to the empty store.

You arched a brow at Nat in disbelief and she only gave you a sly smirk in response before dragging you over to look through everything in the store. Mary-Anne brought you both a glass of champagne as you surveyed everything in the store, Nat holding things against her body for some idea of how it would look, adding the one’s she liked to her every growing pile to try on later.

Nat also forced you to pick out the ones you liked, adding them to your own pile but you were far me reluctant than her, the idea of wearing something so form-fitting and revealing in front of so many people making you apprehensive.

Heading to the back where the changing rooms were you both tried outfits on for the other, leaving your favourites until last of course, and giving each other opinions on what looked good and what you could pair it with.

Whilst you changed into your final outfits, you called out to Nat through the wall of the dressing room; “Hey Nat, once we’re done here do you want to get a massage? My back is killing me.”

“Yeah of course, what did you do?”

Unable to think of an excuse you tried to brush of Nat’s concern, but you should have known by now that it wouldn’t have been that easy, “Oh, it’s nothing, just a little stiff is all.”

“ _Y/N_.”

You could hear the warning tone in Nat’s voice as you finished adjusting your corset, cringing before you slowly opened the door and saw her standing there with her arms crossed and brow raised like a disappointed mother.

Glancing behind you at Julianne and Mary-Anne you made sure they were occupied and not eavesdropping, grabbing Nat’s arm and moving her further away from the two just to be safe before you told her the truth.

“It’s just, Tony’s being doing really well with therapy and he is sleeping more but he still spends a lot of time in the lab, so I started going down there with him; sometimes I can stay awake but sometimes I sleep on one of the work benches down there and it’s not exactly been great for my back.”

Nat’s expression morphed into one of concern, moving closer to reassuringly grip your forearms, “Why are you sleeping in the lab, why are you even down there to begin with when Tony has a perfectly good mattress to sleep on upstairs? Is he making you do this because I-”

“No! Nat, god no he doesn’t ask me to do it it’s just – I just don’t want him to feel alone you know? I think that’s always been part of the problem for him,” You mused, Nat nodding her head slowly in understanding, “Please don’t tell Tony Nat, he’ll only feel guilty and it’s not his fault I promise, besides it’s nothing a little massage therapy won’t fix.”

“Hey, you never have to worry about me telling anybody _anything_ ok? You’re my best friend, your trust means everything to me, I’ll take it to the grave I promise but I do have one question; are you sure that what you feel for Tony is just ‘friendship’ or whatever bullshit you said this arrangement is?”

You froze at Nat’s question; you knew that you were worried about Tony, who wouldn’t be? And you’d do anything to help him. But you’d do the same for any of your friends. Wouldn’t you?

You did have to admit that whatever lines you did have were beginning to become blurred but whether it was extending past platonic at this point you couldn’t decipher and you knew it was dangerous territory to try to at this point.

Swallowing against the dryness in your throat, you shook your head of the dazed feeling that had come over you, giving Nat a soft smile in reassurance. “We’re just friends Nat, I promise.”

Nat hesitated for a moment and you panicked thinking she was going to question you more but to your relief she simply grinned and took your hand in hers, leading you to the huge mirror so you could appreciate what you and she were wearing.

“Wow, you look good,” You complimented, eyes wandering over her very eye-catching outfit. Nat’s outfit consisted of a corseted bodysuit and was completely embellished in tiny silver diamonds with black diamond detailing that caught every ounce of light, making her shimmer with every slight movement. The outfit was finished off with fishnet tights that had diamonds sown into them and black silk gloves that ended at her wrists, a black top hat with a diamond completed the ensemble and if you didn’t know any better you would think she was off to perform any second now.

Nat could sure as hell rock this look that was for sure.

“Correction; _WE_ look fucking amazing,” Nat said with a pointed look, linking her arm through yours as you smiled at her reflection.

You did have to admit that you liked what you saw, the idea of wearing to Nat’s birthday party seemed less daunting then it did half an hour ago and you sure as hell couldn’t wait for a certain billionaire philanthropist to see you in it.

Unlike Nat’s outfit, yours came in two separate pieces, a blush pink satin corset and a matching pair of panties, the corset had minor diamond detailing on it - compared to Nat’s which was covered completely in them - but it did have a diamond fringe that followed the along the bottom of the corset, creating a V shape on your front and behind. There was a diamond embellished garter strap that came down from the corset and attached to the matching pink hold-ups you were wearing. Your white silk gloves reached your elbow and you had a white and pink feather piece clipped into your hair.

You both admired each other in the mirror some more before your eyes met Nat’s in the reflection, smiling at her as you linked your hands together, “You’re my best friend too ya know, well, you and Wanda.”

Much to your surprise Nat pulled you into a bone-crushing hug and you froze at the unexpected gesture before you melted into her touch, wrapping your arms firmly around her as you returned the embrace.

The two of you were pulled apart when Julianne asked if everything was ok or if there was anything else that you needed.

“Everything’s great: we’re definitely gonna be taking these.” Nat answered, the both of you heading back into the dressing rooms to quickly change back into your clothes.

Nat finished everything with the order and even paid for your outfit even though you told her not to and Mary-Anne arranged the delivery to be sent to Tony’s apartment given that you would be getting ready there. You didn’t understand why you couldn’t just take the one you had tried on home, but Nat explained that they were only for show, not for sale, the ones you both would be wearing would be made to order and delivered to you.

After a successful day of shopping together, you went out for lunch at Nat’s favourite bistro chatting more about her upcoming party and what she had planned, both of you laughing over the boys’ latest shenanigans before she asked you if she could meet Wanda. The request took you by surprise but what shocked you more was the fact that _the_ Natasha Romanoff looked nervous, your wide eyes and slack jaw morphed into a warm smile as you reached across the table and took her hand in yours, telling her that you’d love for her to get to know Wanda at which a relieved smile played at her lips.

The conversation soon returned to the usual and you and Nat headed off to get massages, having the kinks and knots in your back worked out felt heavenly and the day you two had spent together had put you in amazing spirits so much so that as soon as Nat had dropped you back off at Tony’s you had headed back out to gather everything you needed to make Nat’s birthday present.

And that’s how Tony found you, sitting on the floor of his living room, an open scrap book in front of you and a stack of photos to your left, scissors, glitter, glue, and stickers surrounding you as you decorated the pages surrounding the photos you had glued to the centre.  

Tony simply allowed himself to watch you unnoticed for a minute longer, allowing himself to take in the enthusiasm you crafted the book together with, the sparkle in your eyes and pleased grin on your lips causing him to smile too, your happiness far too contagious to be ignored.

He couldn’t quite place what it was about you that made you so damn special; your kind heart, your selflessness, your loyalty and dedication, the fact that you could – not matter the situation – get him to laugh, the way you had taken every single one of his problems in your stride, he honestly didn’t know. Tony was beginning to suspect that he would never understand how anyone could be so astounding without even realising but as he watched you carefully add glitter to the page you were working on, tongue poking slightly out as you concentrated on your design, he knew that he had never made a greater choice then when he chose you.


	12. a/n

i’m so so sorry but i’m going to be discontinuing this series.

honestly, tony’s character just isn’t appealing to write to me anymore, it’s a complete chore trying to write the next part as it was the last few parts and it’s just no fun anymore.

i’m sorry to everyone who was following this series and waiting for the next part but thank you supporting it as much as you did xoxo


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